Out Of Time
by RinShade
Summary: Spencer would give anything to keep the people she loves safe. But A has a new plan to take down the girls. In a battle of wits, who would win. Spencer or A. rated t for blood.
1. Chapter 1

Out Of Time

I don't own anything

All my thoughts feel like they're running away from me. Everything that was ever

important to me is slipping through my fingers. I'm dieing. I can feel it. I can smell it. I can

taste it. The desperate, uneven beats of my heart pushes my blood through my beaten

body, and out of the gaping wound on my stomach. I watch my blood as it spills onto the

forest floor. The combined sent of the earthy ground and blood makes me gag.

"Spencer! Spencer, where are you." I can hear Aria screaming my name in the

distance, along with the other girls. How did the find me? Did they see my wreked car on

the side of the road? Did A text them? I can see their flashlights swinging wildly through

the darkness as they franticly search for me. I try to call out to them, but end up choking

on blood. I cough up a mouthful of blood and my lungs spasm as they try to take in air.

Spots dance in my vision. I can barly hear the girls and I no longer can their lights. They're

going the wrong way. Away from me. They'll never find me in the dark.

I can feel myself being pulled into darkness. It would easy to let it take me. I'm in

so much pain, and being alive, being Spencer, has been so hard. But I can't die. Not yet. I

have too many things to say, too many regrets. And information that will save everyone I

love. I know who is on the A team, I know their secrets. I know everything. And it's all

my fault.

**Should I keep going?**


	2. Chapter 2

**Hope you enjoyed the first chapter. Thanks for the reviews. And I still own nothing. **

Friday

3 days earlier

"Who is it? Who's helping Mona?" Hanna asked. The girls wait for my response. All I want to do is go back to

bed. It was about ten in the morning, and I had the house to myself. Aria, Hanna, and Emily should have been at

school, but decided to skip and crowd in on my "pity party", as Hanna called it. They wanted to know what has been

wrong with me the past couple of weeks. I tried to convince them I was only upset about Toby and I breaking up,

but the knew it was more than that. I was tired, and didn't have a lot of willpower. So after about an hour of fights,

hugs, and tears, I broke down and told them I knew who was helping A. They were in shock. And now they eagerly

waited for me to tell them who it was. But should I?

"I don't know if I should tell you." I say.

"Spencer, you can't just drop a bomb like that and then leave us in the dark." says Aria.

"A told me that if I say anything one of you will be hurt. Or worse." I tell them.

"Like A hasn't threatened us before. We'll get through it like we always do. Together." says Emily.

I look at my friends. They all have a brave and determined look on their face. I know that they are there for

me one hundred percent, no matter what. And that's what finally makes me snap.

I collapse to the floor and burst into tears. A loud strangled cry comes out of my mouth and I start to

hyperventilate. Aria gets down on the floor and pulls me into a tight hug.

"What the hell did A do to you Spence?" says Aria. _He broke my heart,_ I think, but don't say out

loud. Hanna and Emily join her and try to calm me down. It feels like it takes hours for my breathing to return to

normal. I finally pull away from the girls. It's quiet for awhile as we all sit on the floor of my kitchen. My friends wait

for me to speak, concern is written all over their faces.

"Sorry for crying so much." my voice comes out a little shaky.

"You don't need to apologize for crying Spencer. We're always here for you." says Emily.

"I know you guys are." I say. "It's just been a long time since I let you be their for me. I forgot how nice it

was."

"Spencer, whatever is going on, you can tell us." says Aria.

I take a deep breath and let the truth spill from my lips. "Toby is the one helping Mona. Toby is A"

* * *

I wake up the next morning feeling drained, but slightly better then before. I feel like a weight has been

lifted from my shoulders by telling the girls about Toby. They each had a different reaction when I broke the news.

Aria immediately began to comfort me and tell me how sorry she was. Hanna started to let a stream of rather

unladylike words fall from her mouth, and said something along the lines of how she was going to hunt Toby down,

take her five inch stiletto, and shove it where the sun don't shine. Emily was in denial.

She couldn't believe Toby, sweet honest Toby. Her friend, and her friends boyfriend, was A. I was so

consumed with how bad I was feeling that I had forgotten how close she and Toby had been. I never thought

about how awful she would feel. It made me realize what a crappy friend I have been. We talked for hours. It had

been weeks since I had a real conversation with the girls, and it felt great. We slowly left the topic of A and just talk

about normal teen girl stuff. We picked up some food at the grill and went back to my house and watch old movies.

They decided to spend the night at my house so we could talk some more. They were still talking when I fell asleep

around one in the morning.

I look out my window from where I'm laying in bed. The sun is just coming up. I can't help but feel good

about the day ahead. For the first time since I found out Toby was on the A team, I feel like I just might be able to

recover. I can sense a small spark of life in me again. I'm not alone anymore. My friends are there for me. And today

is the day I'll changing everything. I'll get the girls to help me make a plan. We will not let A win. We will not let

Toby win. I know we can do this. We have to.

I sit up and look around my room. Hanna is out cold. She's sprawled on the floor, wrapped in a pile of blankets

and pillows. Emily is curled up in a chair, snoring softly. But Aria is nowhere to be seen. I get up to look for her. I'm

about to open my door when I hear a bone chilling scream coming from down stairs.

**What do you think?**


	3. Chapter 3

**Thanks for the review! I don't own anything.**

_I'm about to open my door when I hear a bone chilling scream coming from down stairs. _

I throw open the door and run out off my bedroom. I don't stop to see if Hanna and Emily are following me. All I can think about is finding Aria and making sure she's ok. I can't lose another friend. Not again. I round the corner and head down the stairs at full speed, taking two steps at a time. I only stop once I'm in the living room. It's still dark, and I can only see shadowy outlines of the furniture.

I slowly make my way to the kitchen. The backdoor is wide open. Aria wouldn't leave the house when it's still dark out, not by herself. Not of her own freewill. My heart is pounding as I reach the door. I'm just about to walk outside when I hear a small whimper coming from behind me. I whip around and look toward the back of my kitchen. My eyes have adjusted to the darkness and it's not hard for me to make out the shape of a person huddled in the corner. And not just any person. Aria.

I try to run over to her, but half way there my bare feet step on something wet and I slip and fall. I wince when knee hit's the hard tile floor. I'm only wearing a pair of shorts and a loose t-shirt, so I quickly become drenched from puddle I fell in. But I don't stop to think about that. I crawl the rest of the way to Aria until I'm sitting right in front of her.

"Aria? Are you ok? I heard a scream." I franticly grab her shoulders and bombard her with questions, but she doesn't respond. She just shrinks back further into the corner. Her entire body was shaking, and the feeling of relief I had after finding her alive was quickly fading.

"Aria, talk to me. Everything's going to be ok. I'm here for you." I hug her and continue to tell her that it's going to be ok.

"Spencer?" she says my name so quietly, I almost think that I imagined it.

"Yeah, it's me. I'm here." I say. I tighten my grip on her as if to reassure both of us that I'm telling the truth. She finally responds to my hug. She slowly wraps her arms around me then buries her face in my shoulder and starts to cry. Her tiny body trembles as she tries, but fails, to talk through her heavy sobbing.

"It's ok. You don't have to say anything right now. Just give yourself a minute." I tell her as I slowly rock her back and forth trying to sooth her. She takes my advice and stops trying to talk, and lets herself cry. I can't help but think about how just a few hours ago it was Aria that was comforting me while _I _cried on the kitchen floor.

"Spencer? Aria? Where are you?" says Emily from the staircase.

"We're in the kitchen." I call out. I can hear Hanna and Emily stumble through the living as they make their way towards us.

"What the hell is going on!" say Hanna when they finally reach us.

"I'm not sure. I heard a scream, came down here, and found Aria like this." I say. Emily walks over to the light switch and turns it on. And for the second time today, a scream fills the house.

Hanna claps her hands over her mouth and tries to stifle her screams as she backs away from Aria and I.

"Oh my god." says Emily as she stares at us in horror. That's when I see it. Blood. Blood everywhere. I pull away from Aria and look at her. She's drenched in blood. Her once white shirt and pink cotton pajama pants are now stained dark red. Her hair is matted with blood and it's smeared all over her face and arms.

"Aria! You're hurt. Why didn't you say something! Hanna, Emily help me. Aria where are you hurt?" I franticly search Aria for injures and Hanna and Emily join me. With as much blood as I see, I know she does have a lot of time. Aria tries to control her crying and starts to push us away.

"Aria stop. We're trying to help." says Hanna.

"It's not mine." Aria chokes out between sobs.

"What's not yours?" say Emily.

"The.. The blood. It's not mine. I'm not hurt." Aria manages to say. We all pause for a moment. We can't see any injures on Aria. So if she's not hurt, then where did all this blood come from?

"Spencer. Are you ok?" asks Emily.

"Yeah, why?" I say.

"Spence. You have just as much blood on you as Aria." says Hanna. I look down at myself. Their right. I'm soaked in blood. I can feel the sticky substance on my face and neck from hugging Aria. I had been so worried about that I didn't notice. I look behind me. The puddle I had slipped in wasn't water, but blood. The kitchen counters and walls are splattered with it. It looks like a scene from a horror movie.

"If your not hurt, and Aria's not hurt, then where the hell did all this blood come from. And more importantly who did it come from?" say Hanna. I open my mouth to answer her, but realize I have no clue what to say. I stand up and look around the kitchen. I walk through the blood, and try not to throw up, to the other side of the kitchen island. I see the source of the blood. An old white five gallon bucket. I bend down and pick it up.

"What's that?" asks Emily. She's still on the floor comforting Aria.

"It's a warning." I say through gritted teeth. Hanna walks over to me to get a better look.

"It's a note from A." she say as she looks at the blood spattered piece of paper taped to the side of the bucket.

"Well what does it say?" asks Emily. I look back down at the note and read it out loud.

"**More blood than this is going to be spilled over your loose lips Spencer, too bad you couldn't keep a secret.**

**- A**

**Tell me what you think. The more review I get the faster I update.**

-** Rin Shade**


	4. Chapter 4

**Thanks for all the great reviews! And, unfortunately, I still don't own anything.**

"Why don't you take a break Spencer." says Hanna. She's standing in my living room, as far away from the blood filled kitchen as she can get while still talking to me.

"I can't. I have to get this cleaned up. Melissa could walk in here any minute now, and I don't really feel like explaining to her why our house looks like a crime scene." I say. I continue to furiously scrub the floor. The kitchen looked better then it did an hour ago.

* * *

one hour ago

_After we managed to get Aria to calm down, we had to get her upstairs to clean her up without tracking blood all over the place. Emily and Hanna had managed to stay out of the blood, but Aria and I were dripping with it. The two us had to strip down to our underwear right in the kitchen, while Emily and Hanna found some old blankets for us. Once Aria and I were wrapped in blankets and we had made sure are feet didn't have any blood on them, we made are way up to the bathroom. _

_Emily was getting the shower ready for a still shaken Aria when it dawned on me. My parents were out of town for a few days on business, but Melissa was here, in the barn. She could walk in and see all that blood. I wouldn't have a clue what to say. I cursed under my breath and ran out of the bathroom, ignoring the shouts from my friends. I darted back downstairs and looked out the window. I breathed sigh of relief. Her car was gone. But where'd she go? She could be back any second now. I ran back upstairs, passing Hanna on the way. She called after me but I didn't stop. I ran into my room and tossed the blanket I had around me on the floor. I grabbed an old pair of sweatpants and a tank top and pulled them on over the partially dried blood that was still smeared on my skin. _

"_Spence! What are you doing? What's wrong?" asked Hanna. _

"_Melissa could walk in on that gore-fest down there any second now. I've got to get it cleaned up before she comes home." I said. I ran and got a bunch of towels and bleach and headed back to the kitchen. I paused when I got to the mess. _

" _Are you really going back in there?" asked Hanna._

"_I don't really have a choice." I could smell the blood in the air, and it took everything I had not to throw up. I closed my eyes for a moment to collect myself, then took a deep breathe and started scrubbing._

* * *

"Hanna! You're suppose to be helping Spencer clean." says Emily. Hanna open her mouth to speak, but I interrupt her.

"I kicked her out." I say.

"Why?" asks Emily.

"She looked like she was going to get sick, and I didn't feel like having an even bigger mess to clean up." I say, as I finish wiping the last few smears of blood off the counter top. Emily shoots Hanna a look, but she just shrugs her shoulders.

"How's Aria?" I ask.

"Ok I guess. She got a little obsessive in the shower trying to get every speck of blood off her. But I got her calmed down again, and now she's resting in you bed." says Emily.

"I don't blame her for acting like that. If it were me, I'd _still_ be the shower." says Hanna.

"Has she said anything about what happened? Did she see A? Was….was it Toby?" I ask.

"No. she hasn't said anything yet, and I didn't think it was a good idea to push her to talk." says Emily.

"Emily's right. We should let her rest for now." says Hanna.

"Yeah, ok. Well I think I'm done here." I look around the kitchen to see if I missed anything.

"It looks perfect to me Spence." says Emily.

"Yep, I think we got it all." says Hanna.

"We?" I say.

"Oh Spencer. I forgot to ask." says Emily. "What should we do with all of your's and Aria's bloody clothes?"

"Just throw them in here." I hold out a black trash bag that's already full of the rags and towels I used to clean up the mess. Not to mention the bucket A used. "Once we get everything in there I'll take it out to the trashcan." I say

"What about the clothes you're wearing?" asks Hanna. I look down at myself and see that I'm covered in blood. Again.

"Ok. I'm going to jump in the shower and change, then I can throw these cloths away with the rest ok the trash." I say. "Can you guys make sure everything else is in the trash while I clean up?" I ask.

"Sure Spence. Don't worry about it." says Hanna.

"Thanks. Oh, and keep an eye out for Melissa." I say as I head up stairs.

"Spencer." Emily calls out to me. I stop and turn around.

"Yeah?" I say.

"Are you doing ok?" she asks.

"I'm fine." I try to give her my best smile before I continue up the stairs.

I walk by my room and think about going in to check on Aria, but decide not to since I'm still covered in blood. It would probably freak her out all over again. So instead I head to the bathroom. I have a hard time getting my clothes off. Most of the blood had dried and it caused my clothes to stick to my skin. I finally make it into the shower and I start to wash off the blood. I start to get a little frantic as I try to get it off me. I can see why Aria got so upset while in the shower earlier. I feel my eyes start to fill with tears. I haven't been strong in awhile. But this morning I had to be strong. I had to be strong for Aria. I had to be the strong one and clean up the mess. And now I can feel myself crumbling under everything that happened. _No. No you can't breakdown again. Not yet. _I tell myself. I swallow back my tears. I couldn't let myself fail apart over this. Not when it was all my fault. If I had only been strong in the first place, then this wouldn't have happened. But I was weak, and I told the girls about Toby After A had warned me not to, because I wanted my friend to be help me. I was too scare to deal with it alone. And now Aria was paying for me being a coward. God knows what else A has in store for my "loose lips". I can't let anyone else get hurt because of me. I won't let A hurt the people I care about. Never again. I _will_ take down the A team, by myself. I won't risk anyone's life again. I can handle this on my own.

I step out of shower with new resolve. I hear a knock on the bathroom door. I crack the door and look out.

"I thought you can use a change of clothes." Emily hold out a clean pair of skinny jeans and a navy blue sweater.

"Thanks." I say as I take the clothes from her.

"Are you sure you're ok. Because it's ok if your not." she says.

"Yes Emily. I'm fine." I say and try to close the door.

"Spencer. Please don't lie to me. To us." she holds the door open with her foot and stares at me.

"I promise I'm not lying. Besides, I'm tired of not being ok. Now I'm just pissed off." I tell her.

"Ok. I guess being angry in better than not being ok." she says with a slight smile.

"Damn right it is." I say returning the smile. She laughs and then finally lets me close the door to change. I quickly throw the fresh set of clothes on and put my hair up in a messy ponytail. I look in the mirror and wince at my reflection. I had really let myself go. I shake my head and sigh. I can't think about how I look right now. I have bigger things to worry about. Like how to take down a group of crazy stalkers hell bent on torturing us, or worse.

I gather up my old clothes and head downstairs. I look for the trash bag that's full of all the bloody evidence. Just then Hanna walks in from outside.

"Hey Hanna, where did the trash bag go?" I ask her.

"I just took it out to the cans behind the house. I thought it was the least I could do since I made you clean up all that blood by yourself." she says.

"Don't worry about it Hanna. I know you hate blood. Besides, it's my fault A did it. I should have never told you guys about Toby." I say.

"Don't even go there Spencer. A would have just found another reason to mess with us." she tells me.

"Yeah, I guess you're right." I say.

"I am right. And if think anything like that again I'll kick your ass." she says completely serious.

" I'll keep that in mind." I say laughing. "Well, I'm going to take these clothes to the trash before Melissa gets here."

"Ok. I'm going to check on Aria and Emily." she says. "And Spence."

"Yeah." I say

"I'm glad you told us." she says. All I can do is smile and nod as I walk outside, because _I_ wish I never told them.

I head back to the trashcans and throw the ruined clothes away. I'm just about to put the lid back on the can when someone grabs me from behind. I try to scream, but before I can a large hand wearing a black leather glove claps tightly over my mouth.

**Please review. The more the better. And for those of you wondering where the spoby action is. Well, good things come to those who wait.**

- **Rin Shade**


	5. Chapter 5

**Thanks for all the great reviews! You guys are great. Oh, did I mention how I don't own anything. **

_I try to scream, but before I can a large hand wearing a black leather glove claps tightly over my mouth._

I claw wildly at the hand and fight with all my might to get lose from the assailants tight grasp. But my struggles don't seem to have any effect as I'm dragged into the woods behind my house. A tear rolls down my face as I realize that the person is much stronger than I am, and I'm completely at their mercy. I can no longer see my house and I'm about to loose hope when we stop moving. My attacker moves their mouth close to my ear.

"Spencer. Relax. I'm not going to hurt you." says the smooth, familiar voice. _Toby. _I can feel my eyes widen when I realize who it is, and I begin to fight with renewed zeal and anger.

"Spencer please stop. I need to talk to you. You need to hear what I have to say." the pleading tone in his voice breaks my heart. I hate that he has this effect on me. And even though my brain is screaming at me not to, I stop struggling.

"Ok. I'm going to let you go now. Promise me you won't scream or run away." he say. I don't respond to him.

"Please Spencer. I need to tell you something important." he begs me. I slowly nod my head in agreement. He hesitates for a moment before he loosens his grip and lets me go. I swiftly pull away from him turn to face him. I gasp for air as I take a few shaky steps backwards.

"Please don't run." he says. I look at him. He's wearing the same black hoodie he wore the night he broke my heart. I feel like I'm there, in my kitchen, watching him look for the key he dropped when he attacked Hanna. That was the moment everything changed. The moment I changed. Every perfect memory, every kiss, every laugh, everything I ever shared with him went up in flames. It shattered me and left me without hope.

"Spence?" his voice brings me back to reality. He starts to take a step towards me.

"Don't you dare come near me." I try to put as much venom in my voice as possible.

"Just listen to me Spencer." say Toby as he continues to get closer to me. I stop thinking and let my emotions take control of the situation. I don't even realize what I'm doing until I see my fist launch out in front of me and connect with his jaw. He seems surprised but unharmed by the punch. I, on the other hand, feel like my hand is broken. It figures I would be the one to get hurt instead of him.

"I don't have to listen to a thing you say. Not after everything you've done." I yell at him and bite back the urge to cradle my hand and cry out in pain. I can't let him see me like that.

"I deserved that." he says while rubbing his jaw. "But I still need to talk to you."

"If you just needed to talk then why the hell did you attack me and drag me into the woods?" I ask.

"I had to be sure that no one heard what I'm about to tell you. They're always listening." he says.

"Who is?" I ask. I start to relax slightly as my curiosity and anger get the better of me.

"A, and everyone else on the team." he says.

"Why are you hiding from you them. Have you forgotten that you're on the A team, because I certainly haven't." I say bitterly. A look of exhaustion suddenly appears on his face and he throws his hands up in defeat.

"I'm not going to stand here and try to convince you that I'm a good guy, that everything I've done was to protect you, that everything between us was real, or that I love you and will always love you. Because there just isn't enough time for that." he says. "But if you want to keep you and your friends safe, you'll listen to what I have to say."

I didn't know what to say. I wanted so badly to believe him, but I knew that would be stupid. But what if he's telling the truth. If I don't listen to him Hanna, Aria, and Emily could get hurt. He could be about to tell me all about A and how to take them out. Or he could just be lying to me like he has been for who knows how long. He watches me struggle with what he has just told me.

"At least just hear what I have to say." he says. I cross my arms in front of me and nod at him to continue.

"You need to run." he says.

"What?" I ask.

"You need to go back to your house, grab what you need, leave your laptop and phone, and run. Don't tell anyone where you're going, get in your car and drive, and don't stop. Take this, it should help you disappear." he holds out a huge wad of money for me to take.

"What! Disappear. What the hell are you talking about?" I ask.

"Spencer you're just going to have to trust me, please." he says.

"Trust you. Are you kidding me? Give me one good reason why I should trust you." my voice shakes and a few tears escape my eyes.

"I wish I could, but like I said, there isn't time." he grabs my hands and shoves the money into them. He stands there like that for a minute, holding my hands and staring at the ground. "You're in danger. They're scared you know too much. They might kill you. You need to run." Toby's blue eyes are locked onto mine. I'm in shock by what Toby has said.

"Kill me? Who? Who are the other members of the A team? And why do they think I know to much? I don't know anything. I wish I did." I look up at Toby and wait for him to answer my questions.

"You already know the answer to all those questions. You know so much more than you think. That's why you're in danger. That's why they're afraid of you. They know it's only a matter of time before you figure it all out." he says.

"I think I would know if I had all the answers Toby." I say.

"You just don't want to see the truth that's right in front of you Spencer." Toby says.

"What truth? God Toby, if you want me to trust you just tell me what you know so I could fight back." I yell at him.

"That's exactly why I can't tell you. You would go running straight to your own death. I won't be responsible for you getting yourself kill you." says Toby. He finally lets go of my hands. I had forgotten he was holding them. I look down at the money he gave me. There has to be at least three thousand dollars in the bundle. I look back up at him and search his face for any signs that he's lying to me. Could it be true? Was he on the A team to protect me? I've lied to him many times to protect him from A. Had he only been doing the same thing. If it was all to protect me, then that means he's telling the truth now and A is out to kill me. And do I really have all the answers?

"Let's say I believe you. How would me running away solve anything?" I ask.

"It would save your life." says Toby.

"And what about Aria, Hanna, and Emily? I should just leave them to get punished by A!" I say.

"Don't you get it? You leaving would help keep them safe. If A doesn't kill you then they'll hurt your friends to control you! If you go where A can't reach you then it would be useless to hurt them. Both you and your friends would be safe." explains Toby.

"So if I leave, A would stop torturing the other girls." I ask, wondering if it could be that easy.

"I didn't say that. I said if A didn't have to worry about keeping you in line, then maybe A wouldn't be desperate enough to seriously hurt them." says Toby.

"So you can't guarantee that they would be safe. Just like I can't guarantee that you're telling me the truth." I say.

"Spencer." his voice sounds hopeless.

"I'm sorry Toby. But I don't trust you. And even if I did, I would never risk the lives of my friends just to save myself. And I won't abandon them. I'm staying here, and I'm going to fight for what I love." I say while tears stream down my face.

"No Spencer. Please." Toby chokes on his words. He almost looks like he's in pain.

"Stop. Just stop. You're on the A team, and that makes us enemies. So stop pretending like you care, and stop pretending to help. I don't want to see you again. I don't love you." my voice breaks as I say that last sentence. Because it's a lie. As much has I wish I didn't, I still love him with all my heart. "Here's your money." I toss the roll of cash on the ground in front of his feet before I turn and run. I can hear him calling after me, but he doesn't follow. Deep down I wish he had.

**Please tell me what you think. Your opinions are greatly appreciated.**


	6. Chapter 6

**I don't own anything.**

**And thanks to…**

**Ihavealifeiswear**

**Pinkcrazyness**

**Melissaxo123**

**Chosen one**

**Prettylittlefanfic**

**KooshGID **

**Spobyistruelove**

**And guest, for all the great reviews!**

I can hardly breathe by the time I reach my house. I yank open the door and stumble into the kitchen. My face is wet with tears. I feel like my heart is breaking all over again. I've never been so confused. I'm torn in half. Part of me wants what Toby said to be true. If it was then that means he loves me, and has never stopped. But the other part of me desperately hopes Toby was lying. Because if he wasn't, then A could be plotting my death as we speak, or planning on hurting my friends. What the hell am I going to do?

I lean over and rest my hands on my knees and try to calm myself down. I needed to get my thoughts together now more then ever. My life and the lives of my friends may depend on it. I had figure out something, and fast. Toby said I already had all the answers and that I just didn't want to see the truth. If that's true then I need to focus and try to fit all the pieces together. What truth could be so bad that I wouldn't want to see it? And I still had to consider the fact that Toby could just be messing with me. I groan in frustration. All the lies, everything, it was all so complicated.

_Wait. That's it!_ I was making everything too complicated when it really didn't need to be. I just need to simplify it. I need to shut everything else out and look at the big simple picture. A needs to be stopped. That's it, end of story. I have to stop worrying about weather or not what Toby told me was true. It doesn't matter if A wants to kill me or not. A is still after us either way, and still needs to be stopped. The only thing that matters right now is keeping the people I love safe. And if that means taking down A by myself then that's what I'll do. Simple, right?

I stand up straight and wipe the tears from my face. I take a deep breathe and try to clear my head. I can't let all my personal problems weigh down my thoughts. I can do this. After all, I'm a Hastings. It's time I start acting like one.

"Spencer?" I turn to see Melissa. I had been so deep in thought that I didn't even hear her come in the house.

"Hey Melissa. I didn't realize you were home." I say.

"I just got back. I had a few things to take care of. Are you ok?" she asks.

"Yeah, why?" I say.

"Well, not to be mean, but have you seen yourself?" she gestures at me with her hands. I glance at my refection in the window. I don't look so good. My hair and clothes are a mess from struggling with Toby and my eyes are swollen and red from crying.

"I guess I'm not doing that great, am I?" I sigh.

"Look Spencer. I know we aren't the best of friends, but I am your sister. I care about you. And if you ever need to talk, I'm here for you." she says with worry in her voice.

"Thanks. That means a lot to me." I say. She walks up to me and gives me a hug.

"I hope you get through whatever it is you're going through." she says.

"Don't worry, I will." I say as I hug her back.

"I have some things I need to work on, but if you need anything I'll be in the barn." she says.

"Alright. I better get back upstairs, the girls are probably wondering where I am." I tell her.

"Your friends are here? When did they get here?" a concerned look flashes across her face.

"Yesterday. They spent the night." I say.

"Oh. Ok. I didn't realize they were here. I'm glad they are. You'd been shutting them out for awhile, and I think it will help you to have them around." she says smiling.

"Yeah it does help." I say.

"Well I'll let you get back to them, have fun." she says as she leaves the house and heads for the barn.

I walk up the stairs, anxious to see how Aria is doing. But I stop by the bathroom first and make myself a little more presentable. I don't want the girls to look at me the same way Melissa did when she saw my disheveled appearance. When I'm done, I go to my room. I slowly open my door in case Aria is sleeping, and look inside. The three girls are curled up on my bed talking. Aria looks a lot better.

"Hey Spence, we were getting worried." says Emily.

"Sorry, I was talking to Melissa." I wasn't about to tell them about my conversation with Toby. Especially after what Aria had gone through. Plus, they don't need to be worrying about me.

"Aria was just telling us what happened." says Hanna.

"Really. You don't have to if you're not up to it Aria." I say as I crawl on the bed and sit by her.

"It's ok Spencer. I just freak out because of the blood. But I'm fine now. And a little embarrassed for crying like a baby." says Aria sheepishly.

"Don't be embarrassed. You handled it better than I would have." say Hanna.

"Thanks Hanna." says Aria.

"So you were telling us that you heard a noise." Emily says, wanting Aria to finish her story.

"Yeah. I heard a noise downstairs and went to check it out." she say. "I get to the kitchen and I see the that the backdoor was wide open. Right then I get a really bad feeling, so I turn to run back upstairs. But when I turned around all I see a bucket being thrown at me. All the sudden I'm covered in blood. It's in my eyes and can't see anything. That's when I screamed. Then someone pushes me to the ground and runs out of the house." there's tears in her eye's by the time she finishes telling us.

"I'm so sorry Aria." I say.

"Why didn't you wake us up when you heard the noise?" asks Emily.

"I don't know. I was half asleep, and I guess I wasn't thinking straight. I'm sorry." she says.

"It's not your fault Aria." I say.

"Spencer's right. Non of us are to blame." Hanna says, directing her comment at me.

"I know, you guys are right. I just need to stop thinking about it." says Aria.

"Well why don't we go out and take your mind off it. We can grab something to eat if you're up to it." says Emily.

"Yeah, I think that'd be good. I kind of feel like getting out of here." says Aria.

"Sounds good to me. How about you Spence?" asks Hanna.

"I think I'll catch up with you guys a little later. I told Melissa I would help her out with something." I lie. I can't tell them what I'm really going to do.

"We can wait." says Aria.

"No, that's ok. I not sure how long it will take. Just text me when you decide where you're going and I'll come as soon as I can." I tell them.

"Ok, if you're sure." says Aria.

* * *

I wait until they leave. As soon as they pull out of my driveway I get down to business. I grad my purse and head into my fathers study. I walk to his desk and open the top drawer. I move some files around until I find what I'm looking for. His gun. I pick it up and make sure it's loaded. I open my purse and carefully set the gun inside. After watching my friends suffer for more than a year, I was done playing around. I'm tired of being screwed with. If A wants more blood to be spilt then that's what A is going to get.

**PLEASE REVIEW! The more reviews the faster the update. Oh, and is anyone else dieing to see the new episode tomorrow! **

-**Rin Shade**


	7. Chapter 7

**All of your reviews are great. Thanks so much! I don't own anything.****L**

I jump in my car and take off. I need information that will lead me to the identity of the members of the A team. So I decide to go to the last place I found a clue. Toby's loft. There has to be something there that would lead me to the rest of the team. I just hope Toby isn't there. I can't handle that right now, I need to stay strong and focused. And if I see Toby and I think I'll break.

I pull into the ally behind Toby's loft. I still have the key he gave me when he first moved in. I can remember how happy I was._ In case you ever need a safe place. You can go there whenever you need to. _That's what he said when he when he gave the key to me. And it was a safe place. After a hard day at school, or a fight with my family, no matter what, I had a place where I belonged. But right now, standing in front of the loft door, I feel anything but safe. My heart is pounding. I have no idea what I'm going to find in there. I take the key and unlock the door. I slowly push it open and walk inside. I close the door behind me. It's dark. The curtains are closed and my eyes still needed to adjust from being outside in the bright sun. I turn on the lights and I am instantly stunned by what I see.

It's the same. Nothing has been changed. It's all exactly like I left it the last time I was here. The night I was going to surprise Toby with an anniversary dinner. The night I found out Toby was A. The table is still set, and the classical music is playing in the back ground. I let a few tears slip from eyes. The memories are almost to much. I want to give up. It would be so easy. But I can't stop now. I have to think about Aria, Hanna, and Emily. They're my friends, no, my family, and I will protect them. I take a minute to get myself together. I turn away from the set table and start to search.

* * *

I angrily shove another draw closed. I've been searching the loft for over an hour. And after going through every scrap of paper, looking in every drawer, and under each piece of furniture, I still haven't found anything. I lean against the wall and slide down to the floor. I was sure I would find something here. I was counting on it. I have no leads. I don't have any idea where to go from here. That's when I see it. A group of floor boards that are raised up slightly higher than the rest. Toby had put the floor in himself. He would never make of mistake like that. Unless it was on purpose. I crawl over to the spot on the floor. It was about five feet by four feet. I feel around the edges and try to move it, but it won't budge. I get up and run over to his desk and grab a screwdriver. I go back to the floor boards and wedge the screwdriver in the gap. After a few minutes of working on it I pry them up. I move the slab of flooring away and look inside the space beneath it.

Inside the deep space is a huge chest. I reach down and grab a handle to pull it out. It's extremely heavy, but I manage to get it out of the hole with the help of all the adrenaline pumping through my body. I eagerly go to open it but I'm stopped by a padlock. I can't remember seeing any keys after my search of the loft. I quickly look around for something to help me open it. I go to same desk I found the screwdriver in and move a few things around until I find what I'm looking for. I go back to the chest armed with a hammer. I raise the hammer above my head and smash it into the lock without hesitation. I hit it few more times before I get the lock to come flying off. I set the hammer down and try to catch my breath. I rest my hands on the lid of the chest and slowly open it.

It's like a mini A layer. There's pictures of me, Hanna, Aria, and Emily. A few black hoodies, some dolls, old dried flowers, and a few scraps of papers. One of the papers has writing on it. It's an address. _177 North oak st. B36. _I know the street. It's only thirty minutes from here. I have to check it out. I take the address and leave Toby's loft.

* * *

I arrive at the address. It's a bunch of storage units. B36 must be the number of the storage unit. I'm about to get out of my car when my phone rings. It's Aria. I hesitate before answering it.

"Hello" I say.

"Spencer, where are you? We've sent you a bunch of texts." asks Aria.

"I'm still busy helping Melissa." I say.

"We called Melissa. She said she never asked you to help her with anything. What's going on?" Aria says. Damn. I should have come up with a better lie, but there just wasn't time.

"Spencer? Spencer are you there? Asks Aria.

"Look, I just need to take care of a few things." I say.

"I thought we were done with keeping secrets from each other." Aria says.

"Sometime secrets are kept for a good reason Aria." I say.

"What reason is good enough to lie to your friends." Aria sounds sad, and it almost makes me tell her what I doing. Almost.

"Don't worry Aria. It's almost over. I promise I'll keep all of you safe." I say.

"Spencer, what are you talking about?" Aria asks a little frantic.

"I have to go. I love you guys." I say then quickly end the call before Aria convinces me to tell her something. I need to be stronger if I'm going to get through this. If I'm going to win. I take a deep breathe and get out of the car. I walk up to the huge building full of storage units and walked inside.

I walk by unit after unit, carefully checking there numbers until I finally make it to b36. There's a big combination lock on it, of course. I should have brought Toby's hammer. I try a few combinations, but they don't work. I kick the door and yell out of frustration. I've come this far. I'm not going to be stopped by a stupid little lock.

I look up and down the hall. Everything's quiet. I pretty sure I'm alone. Before I can change my mind about what I plan on doing, I reach into my purse and pull out the gun. I've never shot one before and my hands shake as I aim it at the lock. I hold my breathe and try to steady them. _You can do this,_ I tell myself. And then I pull the trigger.

The gun jumps in my hands. It feels like a punch. The sound is deafening, and sparks fly everywhere when the bullet hits the lock. A small scream escapes my mouth and I almost drop the gun. I quickly look around. Someone had to have heard the gun shot. But I still don't see anyone. But just in case I have to hurry. I put the gun back in my purse, then I go and examine the lock. The bullet had busted it apart, and there was hardly any of it left hanging on the door. I remove the rest of it and slid the door up.

In the dimly lit unit, I can see seven cardboard boxes. They're lined up against the walls. Each of them are labeled with a name. _Jenna, Noel, Garrett, Lucas, Mona, Wilden, _and _Toby. _I start opening boxes.

**Things are about to get intense. PLEASE REVIEW!**

**-Rin Shade **


	8. Chapter 8

**Thanks for all the good feedback on the last chapter! I own nothing. **

_In the dimly lit unit, I can see seven cardboard boxes. They're lined up against the walls. Each of them are labeled with a name. Jenna, Noel, Garrett, Lucas, Mona, Wilden, and Toby. I start opening boxes. _

I can't believe it. This is what I was looking for and more. Right here in front of me is the identities of the A team. Not only that, but after quickly looking through them, I've found each box contains evidence of each persons involvement. Pictures, videos, recording, and more. A crazed laugh escapes my lips. I can't help but be excited. This is what I need to save my friends.

I start taking a few things from each box. I don't need all of it, just enough to incriminate them. Pictures of Jenna and Noel digging up Alison's grave. Video of Mona leaving A notes when she should have been locked up in Radley. I hesitate to open Toby's box, but I have to. What's inside surprises me. Unlike the other boxes, Toby's doesn't have anything that would get him into trouble. Instead it's full of things that would hurt me. Pictures of me at Alison's dug up grave, a video of the fight I had with Alison the night she died, and more. Is this why Toby was on the A team? To protect me from A leaking all this evidence against me to the police. Does this prove Toby is on my side? I blink back the tears forming in my eyes. I'll think about Toby later when I have more time. I quickly take all the evidence against me before going to the next box.

Garrett's box is empty. That must be because he died. The box belong to Lucas didn't have much that would prove he was on the A team. Mostly it just had evidence of him selling answers to tests. _That's odd._ I think to myself before I move on to the last box. Wilden. I comb through the things in his box. There's plenty of things in here proving he's A, but there's also a lot of other things. Videos of him when he was younger, maybe even before he was a cop, breaking into a store. And more recent pictures of him doing drugs. All of this would be enough to get him kick off the force or even thrown in jail. I frown. Things weren't adding up.

Why would the A team be saving things that would incriminate them in multiple crimes? Some of which didn't even involve being on the A team. It didn't make any sense. You would think they would want all this stuff destroyed. What reason would they possibly have to keep all this around? My friends and I are the only people I could think of that would benefit from these things. And I'm pretty sure they wouldn't want that. Why would they risk keeping this evidence around when they knew we might find it and use it against them? They definitely wouldn't want us to have control over them. _Wait, control!_ That's what all this was about. Control. The A team wouldn't want this stuff around, but it would be perfect for someone who was trying to control them. Their leader. The person who needs to keep them under control and blackmail them into obeying orders. The master mind behind everything. A.

I found out who has been behind all the dirty work, but I still don't know who's pulling all the strings. I wonder if A's little helpers know about this place. Toby had the address to this place, but did he know what was in here? I've made a lot of progress but I still have work to do. I need to take down the leader, not just the underlings, or it would start all over again. But for now, I had to put what I found in a safe place.

I make sure I have everything I need before I leave. I slide the door back down and latch what remains of the lock back on the door. I walk swiftly back to my car, eager to get out of the creepy place. I get back in my car and take off.

* * *

I arrive back at my house. Melissa's car is gone, but I double check and make sure I'm alone. Once I'm sure no one is here, I go to the living room and start a fire. I take all the evidence I found against me and burn it, hoping that it's the only copies A has. Now I just need to find a safe place to hide everything else I've found. I could go straight to the police, but I don't want to do that before I know all the facts and hold all the cards. Especially when a member of the A team is a cop. In the past, A was always able to find and destroy any new leads we found no matter where we hide them. This time I wasn't going to be outsmarted by A.

I go up to my room and find a box in my closet. It's about the size of a shoe box. It should be big enough. I fill it with all the pictures, videos, and flash drives. I quickly write a short note on a piece of paper, fold it up, then put it in the box as well. I grab some tape and wrap it around the box several time to make sure it won't open back up. I grab a fistful of stamps and stick more than enough on the box. Then I get a marker. I think for a minute before I write down an address. I smile to myself. Even A won't be able to get to this when it's in the mail. But before I send the package off, I had to make a phone call.

I dial the number and listen to the ring. I start to loose hope when he answers.

"Hello." he says.

"Toby. It's me." I say while trying not to crumble at the sound of his voice.

"Spencer? Is everything ok?" he sounds as nerves as I feel.

"Everything's fine." I say.

"Why are you calling me?" he asks.

"We need to talk." I say.

"Really? I thought you said you didn't want to speak to me again" there's an edge of bitterness in his voice.

"Technically I said I never wanted to _see_ you again." I say.

"It's all the same, isn't it?" he says.

"Well I might have changed my mind." I say.

"And what might of have changed your mind?" he asks.

"I think you could be telling my the truth." I say.

"You do? You believe me?" he asks.

"I think I found something that proves you were telling the truth." I tell him.

"Spencer, what have you been doing?" Toby asks.

"I don't want to talk about this over the phone. I have a few things I need to take care of right now, but we need to meet after." I say.

"You've been digging around trying to find out who A is haven't you?" says Toby.

"What else am I suppose to do?" I say.

"Damn it Spencer! I tell you to run and you have to go and do the exact opposite." he yells.

"What I do is my business Toby. Now are you going to meet me or not?" I yell back. There's a long pause before I he says anything.

"When and where?" he asks.

"Tonight. Same place we had are last conversation." I say.

"Any specific time?" he asks.

"No. just wait there and I'll show up." I say.

"Ok." he says.

"I need go Toby. I'll talk to you tonight." I say.

"Please don't do anything stupid Spence." pleads Toby.

"To late." I say before hanging up. I grab the box and my purse and head out to my car. I needed to hurry. Hopefully, by the time I meet Toby, I know the identity of the leader of the A team. I just hope my plan works.

* * *

After I drop the box off at the post office, I find myself back at the storage units. I park my car across the street from the complex so I won't be seen. I get the phone number for the storage unit off the side of the building and call it.

"Hello, this is Rosewood storage. How may I help you." a tired sounding man answers the phone in a monotone voice.

"Hello. I rent a storage unit from you and I when I went to get into it I saw something concerning." I say.

"And what was that." the man asks, sounding uninterested.

"Well it looked like a unit being rented a few units down from mine had been broken into." I say.

"Really? What was the Units number?" he asks, sounding much more alert now.

"I believe it was B36." I tell him.

"B36. Ok. Thank you for calling." he says.

"Can I ask what exactly you're going to do about it? I'd like to know in case mine ever gets broken into." I ask.

"Well first we contact the owner, so they can check to see if there has really been a break in, then if there has, we contact the police." he says. I smile. That's just what I was hoping he'd say.

"Ok, Thank you for being so helpful." I say.

"Your welcome miss." he says before ending the call.

This will work. If I'm right, the leader doesn't want anyone on the team to have access to the storage unit. Since it's full of thing that A is using to blackmail them. So when the owner calls and informs the renter of the possible break in, A won't be able to send anyone to take care of it. A will be forced to come here. And I finally know who is behind everything.

Two hours pass and I start to wonder if my plan has failed. It will be dark soon and Toby will be wondering where I am. I'm wondering if I should call him when a car pulls into the storage building parking lot. I know the car, and even with red coat, big sunglasses, and hat, I recognize the person. I can't believe it. I'm in shock. The same person that had been comforting me just a few hours ago is the same person that has made the last year and a half a living hell.

I'm snapped out of my shock when the person goes into the building. I jump out of my car and run across the street. I silently follow them inside. I had to be sure I had the right person. They could be here for another reason, right? I slowly make my way to B36. I'm about to round the corner when I catch sight of her. Standing in front of B36. I watch her remove the broken lock and throw it on the ground, cursing loudly. She slides the door up and starts looking through the boxes, getting angrier and angrier. She picks up box and hurls it out of the storage unit. A small noise of surprise escapes my lips. She hears it. Her head flies up in my direction. I want to run, but it's to late, she sees me. So instead of running, I meet the eyes of my enemy.

**Hope you liked the chapter! PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE REVIEW. The more the better.**

**- Rin Shade**


	9. Chapter 9

**Thanks for all the reviews! You guys are great! I also loved hearing who you thought A was. I own nothing.**

_She picks up box and hurls it out of the storage unit. A small noise of surprise escapes my lips. She hears it. Her head flies up in my direction. I want to run, but it's to late, she sees me. So instead of running, I meet the eyes of my enemy._

We stand there staring at each other for what feels like hours. Her eyes are on fire and full of anger and hatred. She grinds her teeth together and her lips pull back slightly, as if she's about to growl at me. It makes her look like a wild animal who's getting ready to go in for the kill. And I'm her prey. I'm paralyzed with fear and shock. I feel like if I move or say anything she'll tear me apart. I thought I would feel differently when I discovered who A was. Maybe powerful or at least happy and relieved. But instead I feel betrayed, hurt, sad, and disbelief. Toby was right. I didn't want to see the truth that was right in front of me. All the signs where there. I can't believe how stupid I was not to see it sooner.

"Why?" I don't mean to speak. The question just falls from my mouth. She flinches at the question, but doesn't answer. I decide to pretend I'm brave and ask the question again. This time I put more force in my voice. "Why Melissa? We're sisters. Why would you do this?" I ask. This time she response.

"You little bitch. You selfish bitch. You ruined everything!" she screams at me then runs straight for me.

It backpedaled a few steps then turn around and run. I only make it a few steps before Melissa's full weight slams into my back. I'm not able to catch myself and smack head first into the hard concrete floor. I have to fight to stay awake as I feel warm liquid start to pour into my eyes. I'm brought back to reality when Melissa grabs my hair and yanks my entire head back. Out of the corner of my eye I see the dim light glint off something in Melissa's hand. A knife. My mind kicks into high gear as she tries to stab it in my throat.

I manage to grab her hand at the last second. I can feel the cold metal scrap against my skin as she pushes harder against the knife. I kick my legs wildly trying to get her to loosen her grip. I slam my head back and hit something hard. Melissa grunts and her grip on both me and the knife loosen a little, and it's all I need. I roll over on my back and knock her off me. I try to get up, but the sudden movement combined with the head injury makes it hard to move fast. Before I can even get the room to stop spinning, Melissa throws herself at me again. She sits on my legs so I can't kick her. Her crazed face hovers over mine. Blood from her nose drips onto my face. I must have broken it when I threw my head back.

"Bet you feel proud of yourself outsmarting me." she says. "You just have to beat me at everything don't you?" She tries to stab me in the chest but I grab her arms and fight back. I dig my nails into her skin, but she doesn't seem to notice. A sick twisted smile spreads across her face as the knife slowly starts to move closer to my heart.

"I'll make this quick. You know, since we're sisters." she says the smile growing wider. I franticly look around for something the might help me. I see my purse about two feet away from me. If I could just reach it I could get the gun. I'm momentarily distracted by the thought of the gun and I lose my grip on Melissa's arm. Pain explodes through my body and I scream out in agony.

* * *

Melissa missed my heart, lodging the knife deep in my shoulder. She tries to pull it out, no doubt to finish me off, but the blade is stuck in my bone. This is my chance. I fight against the pain punch her in her already broken noise. It's hard to do in the position I'm in but I pull it off. And it has the desired effect. Melissa's hands fly to her face and she howls in pain. I kick my way out from underneath her and drag myself to my purse. I can hear her recovering from my hit.

"You're going pay for that." she growls. I desperately reach inside my purse, ignoring the burning pain in my shoulder. My fingers brush against the gun. I can hear footsteps coming closer. I wrap my hand around the gun. She's right behind me. I swing my body around and point the gun at her.

She stops less then a foot from me. Her smile is replaced with a look of surprise. She wasn't expecting me to have a gun. I look up at her form my crouched position on the floor.

"Back up. Do it now." my voice shakes from pain, blood loss, and god knows what else. She laughs.

"You're going to have to sound more threatening than that if you want me to do anything Spencer." she says.

"I said get the hell away from me. I'm not joking around." I yell.

"Neither am I. I just have to wait until you pass out and drop the gun. It shouldn't be long by the looks of it." she smirks.

"You should be worried about what I'll do before I pass out." I say.

"You won't shoot. I know you." she mocks.

"You don't know me at all." I say before I pull the trigger.

* * *

The bullet sails past Melissa's head and into the wall behind her. She screams and ducks to the floor. She looks back at me in shock before running away down the rows of storage units. The echo of her footsteps slowly fade away. I'm still sitting on the ground aiming the gun as if Melissa was still there. Tears start pouring from my eyes as the physical and emotional pain hit me like a train. I finally let the gun fall to the floor and I double over in pain. I can hardly breathe. It's like my world is collapsing in on me. My head spins and I would like nothing more than to let myself pass out. But I'm not done yet. I can't rest until I've finished. Until I know my friends are safe. And to do that I had to not let myself bleed to death.

I pick the gun up again and put it back in my purse. Now all I had to do was stand up and get to my car. It wasn't safe here. I use the wall to pull myself up. I scream as the movement sends shooting pain to my shoulder, where the knife is still protruding from. I know better then pull it out, but the sight of it sticking out of my body make me want to vomit. I try to ignore it and instead focus on walking out to my car. I lean against the wall and slowly inch my way towards the exit.

I finally get to the door and push it open. I step out into the darkness. The cool night time air feels good against my skin. I can see my car just across the road, but it seems so far away. I start walking towards it. I stumble a few times, but make it without falling on my ass. I open the car door and ease myself into the seat. I can't move my left arm, so I have to use my right to close the car door. I sit there and rest for a minute, then I dig around in my purse and bring out my phone. I did it. I found out who A is. Now I can call for help. I'm about to punch in a number when I glance up into my rearview mirror. There, sitting in my backseat is Noel. Before I can react, his hands reach around my seat and clasp on to my neck.

"It's stupid to leave your car unlocked Spencer." says Noel. I claw at his hand but his grip only tightens. I try to fight but I'm already weak from my other injures. Toby's angry face is the last thing I see before my eyes roll back and I fall into darkness.

**There's several more chapters before the end but I need your opinion. There is 3 different endings I have in mind, and I'm not sure which one I should go with. One is happy, one is SUPER sad, and one is both a little happy and a little sad. Please tell me which one you would like. Oh, and please review this chapter.**

**-Rin Shade**


	10. Chapter 10

**Thanks for all the reviews! And for giving me your opinion on which ending I should go with. Emilyjayden101 asked if I could do a Toby pov, so this chapter will be from both Toby's and Spencer's POV. Hope you like it!**

**And I still don't own anything.**

Spencer's POV.

There's a quote by Aristotle. It says _true love is one soul in two bodies._ When I first read it, I thought it was absolutely beautiful. One soul in two bodies, where one can't live without the other. It would be like you were torn in half. And it would be impossible to survive with only half a soul. Believe me, I've tried.

I thought it was a gift for two people to be truly in love. It felt like a gift when Toby and I fell in love. When our two souls became one. But it wasn't just a gift, it was also a curse. It made us a weak and easy target for our enemies, because they could destroy both of us by destroying one of us. With true love, you either live as one or die as one. I've found that love brings more pain than anything. But I wouldn't trade this curse for the world.

_True love is one soul, in two bodies._ This is what I think of as I slowly start to wake up. The first thing I see when I open my eyes is Toby's worried face leaning over me. His gorgeous blue eyes are wet with tears. For a moment, all the pain, all the fears, and all the terrible things that have ever haunted us melt away. And it's just me and him. One soul in two bodies, forever.

* * *

Toby's POV.

I drive like a mad man, but it still feels too slow. I turn my head and look in the back seat at Spencer. It kills me to see her so broken. Her unconscious, beaten body is stretched out across the back seat. The knife is still in her shoulder. I just wasn't sure if I should take it out so I left it. Her face is bruised and bloody from a gash on her forehead. The front of her shirt is soaked in blood from the stab wound. And I can see bruises starting to form on her neck from where Noel nearly succeeded in straggling her to death. Her breathing is slow and shaky.

I turn my eyes back to the road and focus on driving. I force myself to stay calm so I don't wreak the car, but I want to explode. It's all my fault Spencer's hurt. I should've been there to protect her. If I had arrived just a second later, she'd be dead. Noel would have killed her. But I still should have gotten to her sooner. I should have left to find her right after she called me.

* * *

_Earlier that day._

"_Damn it Spencer! I tell you to run and you have to go and do the exact opposite." I yell over the phone. Why didn't she just listen to me? I just want to keep her safe. That's all I've ever wanted._

"_What I do is my business Toby. Now are you going to meet me or not?" she yells back. She sounds more sad than angry. I take a deep breathe and calm myself down before I answer her._

"_When and where?" I ask._

"_Tonight. Same place we had are last conversation." she says. Our last meeting behind her house was still fresh in my mind. Did she mean what she said. Did she really not love me anymore?_

"_Any specific time?" I ask._

"_No. just wait there and I'll show up." says Spencer._

"_Ok." I say._

"_I need go Toby. I'll talk to you tonight." she says._

"_Please don't do anything stupid Spence." I beg her._

"_To late." she says._

"_Wait! What have you done?" I ask, but she already ended the call. Damn it. Why was she so stubborn?_

_I shove my phone back in my pocket and look at my surroundings. I'm in a small town about an hour and a half north from Rosewood. I had been following Mona when Spencer called, but now she's no where in sight. _

_I've gotten good at stalking people since Melissa blackmailed me months ago. I still remember her showing me all the things she had that could get Spencer thrown in jail for the rest of her life. I couldn't let that happen. So I did what Melissa wanted, I became a member of the A team. Doing things that hurt Spencer and her friends, while trying to keep them relatively safe at the same time. I would mess up plans and leave the girls clues or warnings. I started following and spying on the entire team, learning their secrets, hoping I would find something that could put an end to everything. That how I discovered that they were thinking about killing Spencer. _

_Melissa had called the whole team for a meeting, but left me out. I followed Noel to find out where they were meeting and overheard their plans. They were all worried that Spencer was getting to close to the truth. Melissa put Mona in charge of keeping Spencer distracted until a final decision was made about her life. So when Mona suddenly left town, I followed her. I was positive her leaving had something to do with Spencer._

_I scan the area looking for Mona. She has to be close. I was only on the phone for a minute. I walk down the street and look in the stores as I pass them. I swore under my breathe. I would have to leave soon if I was going to meet Spencer in time. I walk around the town for almost an hour before I give up and head back to my motorcycle. I'm lost in thought and don't notice someone sitting on my bike until they speak._

"_You're not that bright, are you." says Mona. She slides off my bike and stands in front off me. "I'm surprised Spencer didn't get bored with someone as dull as you."_

"_What the hell do you think you're doing." I growl._

"_Says the person who's been following me." she says._

"_Get away from my bike. I've got somewhere I need to be." I say while I walk around her._

"_She knew you were there." she say._

"_What?" I ask._

"_Half way through our last meeting, Melissa realized you where there." she says smiling._

"_If she knew I was there, then why didn't she do anything about it." I ask, slightly worried._

"_Oh she did something about it." she says._

"_What did she do?" I ask._

"_She sent you on a wild goose chase." she says._

"_What do you mean?" I ask._

"_She didn't really put me in charge of distracting Spencer. She just knew that if she said that, you would be busy watching me like a hawk." she says. "She knew you would follow me, so she had me lead you out of town so you wouldn't get in the way of the real plan."_

"_What's the real plan?" I ask._

"_What do you think? They're going to kill her." Mona says._

"_No. You're lying!" I yell._

"_Look. I don't care if you believe me. And honestly, I could care less what happens to Spencer. I'm only telling you this because I think you're a nice guy and I know it would destroy you if Spencer dies. You don't deserve that." says Mona._

_She's not lying, I can tell. That means Spencer's in danger._

"_Where is she? Where's Spencer now." I ask desperately._

"_Don't know. You're on your own now. I was just giving you a heads up." she says. Then she runs away. _

_I consider going after her, but decide not to. I have to get back to Spencer. I jump on my bike and head back to Rosewood as fast as I can._

* * *

_It's getting dark and I still haven't found Spencer. I even tried calling her friends, but they wouldn't talk to me. I'm about to go to her house and wait for her in the place where we're suppose to meet, when I decide to check one last place. My loft._

_I park my bike and run up to my loft. I haven't been there since the night Spencer found out I was A. I'm met with a surprise when I walk in. The whole place has been torn apart. It looks like someone was searching for something. But who? And what were they looking for? Then I notice the table. Everything's a wreak except for the table. It looks like someone was about to have a romantic dinner. Damn it. Spencer must have done it on our anniversary. I should have guessed she had something planed. All I wanted was to keep Spencer safe. But I ended up hurting more then A ever could._

_Wait! This means Spencer must have been the one to trash the place. Only Spencer would tear the loft apart, but leave the table she set. She must have been looking for clues. I look around the loft and see that my hidden chest has been pulled form its hiding place. I'm not surprised Spencer found it. I go through the chest to see if anything's missing. Everything is there except for the address. No. Not that. _

_I had been following Melissa since I join the A team, just waiting for her to slip up. Last month, I followed her to a storage unit she rented. I have no idea what she keeps in there. I had been waiting for the right moment to break in to it. Knowing Spencer, she probably went there as soon as she found the address. Who knows what Melissa would do if she catches her there. I run out of my loft and jump on my bike. Spencer might still be there. I had to get to her before they do. _

* * *

_It's pitch black outside by the time I pull up to the storage building. It doesn't take me long to spot Spencer's car across the street. I can barely see her slim figure struggling against something in the drivers seat of the car. I run to her car and as I get closer I can see what she's fighting. Noel, with his filthy hands wrapped tightly around her delicate throat. I throw open her door just in time to see her pass out. _

_I rip Noels hands off her and twist until I hear his wrist snap. He yells and yanks his hand out of my grip. I try to turn my attention to Spencer, but Noel jumps out of the car and attacks me. He swings his fist wildly at my face, but I easily dodge it. Before he can try again I punch him in the face and he falls to the ground. I bend down and pick him up by his shirt and start punching over and over again, my rage fueling each hit. I'm brought back to reality when I hear Spencer moan in pain. I let Noel's bloody and unconscious body fall to the ground and turn my attention to Spencer. _

_I finally see the full extent of her injures. The knife, the blood, the bruises. My heart breaks. I carefully scoop her up into my arms and gently lay her in the backseat of her car. _

"_Oh Spencer. I'm so sorry. Please wake up." I plead. I brush her hair out of her face and softly kiss her lips._

"_Toby." she mumbles. Her eyes open slightly and she looks up at me. My eyes fill with tears._

"_It's ok Spencer. I'm here." I tell her. She doesn't say anything. She just smiles at me and then passes out again._

* * *

The Present

After what feels like hours of driving, I finally get to my destination. Rosewood hospital. I go to pull into the driveway but my path is blocked by a police car. And leaning up against the car, waiting for us, is the entire A team.

**PLEASE REVIEW! The more the merrier. I should have the next chapter up soon.**

**-Rin Shade **


	11. Chapter 11

**Thanks for all the reviews! You guys are Awesome! I don't own anything.**

Toby's POV

_After what feels like hours of driving, I finally get to my destination. Rosewood hospital. I go to pull into the driveway but my path is blocked by a police car. And leaning up against the car, waiting for us, is the entire A team. _

I slam on the brakes and stop just five feet from them. I meet Melissa's angry gaze. It looks like she's been in a fight. I can clearly see her swollen nose and black eyes. The rest of the team stands up from their relaxed position against the car and line up on either side of Melissa. Mona and Lucas on one side, Jenna and Wilden on the other. They each share the same look of desperation. I have never seen them look so nervous. Something must have happened. Spencer must have found something that would end them all. I can practically smell their blood lust, their need to kill Spencer and the secrets she knows with her. I glace back at Spencer unconscious form. She needs medical attention, but it will have to wait. Right now I need to get her out of here.

I throw Spencer's car in reverse, but just when I go to back out a car parks behind me, blocking our escape. The drivers door swings open and a bloody Noel steps out. He must have recovered from the beating I gave him and followed us here. He's probably the one that warned the others.

"I'm disappointed in you Toby." Melissa calls out. "You're going to regret betraying me." she and the rest of the team start walking towards us. I reach over and lock the car doors. Wilden hears the locks click.

"Do you really think that's going to stop us?" says Wilden as he approaches my window. "Besides. It's not smart to resist arrest." his voice sounds muffled through the glass.

"What the hell would you even arrest me for?" I ask, stalling for time so I can think of a way to escape.

"For the murder of Spencer Hastings." he says.

_The murder of Spencer Hastings._ He said it like she was already dead. Like it all over with and I should just give up. Like I should just let them kill the love of my life and take the blame. Never. I'll die before I let that happen. I don't care if I have to kill every last one of them.

"Did you hear me? I said get out of the car." yells Wilden. He'd been talking, but I didn't hear a word he said.

"Go to hell." I growl. He bangs his fist against the window in frustration. Wilden turns and looks at Melissa for instructions. She just nods her head at him, but that's all he needs. He smiles and then goes for his gun.

I stop thinking and just react. I slam my foot on the gas pedal. The car leaps forward and Mona and Lucas barely get out of the way in time. I crash into Wilden's car, moving it enough for me to get around it. But right after I manage to scrape passed the cop car, I hear gun shot and the rear window explodes. I duck my head and speed through the hospital parking lot. I glance back at the A team. I can see Melissa shouting orders as they run to their cars and start chasing us.

I get to the end of the parking lot, but don't slow down. Instead I speed up and jump the curb. The car bounces violently, and I struggle to gain control as I swerve onto the road. I glance in my mirror and see the A team isn't far behind. I make a sharp right turn onto a road that leads out of town. I need to get Spencer somewhere safe.

* * *

I race down roads and make turn after turn, but I still can't lose the team. I have no idea were we are. We passed the _You are now leaving Rosewood _sign a long time ago. I had turned onto a old dirt road in hopes of losing them but only gained a small lead. I race over a hill and I am forced to hit my breaks. A dead end. I look back and can see head lights speeding towards us. They're about fifty yards away. We're trapped.

I try to think of a way out. There was another road back at the bottom of the hill, but the A team would get to it before I could. I need a plan. They'll come over the hill and catch us any second now. I spot something to my left. It looks like an old hiking trail. It's over grown, easy to miss, and just wide enough for a car to drive on. I pull the car onto the path as fast as I can. I drive about twenty feet then shut off the car.

Melissa's car drives over the hill a second later. It stops right by the entrance of the trail. I hold my breathe and pray they don't see the trail or the car parked just feet from them. After the longest minute of my life, they turn around and drive away.

* * *

Spencer's POV

Where am I? What happened? Why does everything hurt so badly? I slowly start to wake up, but I'm in so much pain that I wish I would just go back to sleep. But my body continues to wake up, and I become more and more aware of my surroundings. A soft, cool breeze blows across my skin. I force my eyes open and look around. I'm lying on the back seat off my car. All the doors are open, allowing the fresh air in. The sun rests in the middle of the sky and its light streams through the tall forest trees. Forest? Why is my car parked in the forest? What the hell happened? I try to sit up, but pain shoots through my body. I gasp in pain and lay back down.

"Spencer?" a voice coming from the front of the car calls out. A voice I know. Toby. He's suddenly at my side, kneeling on the floor of the car. A smile of relief forms on his face. When I look into his big blue eyes, all the events of yesterday come rushing back. The storage unit, Melissa stabbing me, Noel choking me, and Toby saving me.

"Toby." I say. Tears start to roll down my face.

"Spencer! Thank god you're awake. You were unconscious for so long." he says. He sounds tired. There's dark circles under his eyes. It looks like he hasn't slept in days.

"How long was I out?" I ask.

"Over twelve hours." he says.

"Really! What time is it?" I ask.

"Around noon." he says.

"I can't believe I was out that long." I say.

"I know. I was so worried. But it was probably for the best you weren't awake when I took care of your injures. It was terrible taking the knife out." he says. I look down at my shoulder. The knife was gone and strips of what once was Toby's jacket were wrapped tightly around the wound.

"I cleaned your shoulder and the cut on your head the best I could, But you lost a lot of blood. We need to get you to a doctor." he say. " I just have to get the car fixed."

"What's wrong with the car?" I ask.

"Can I get you anything?" Toby asks, completely ignoring my question. But I don't really care, because I realize how raw my throat feels and how dry my mouth is.

"Some water would be nice." I say. He disappears for a second and comes back with half empty bottle of water.

"Sorry, it all I could find." he says.

"It's fine." I say. "Could you help me sit up?" I ask.

"Do you think that's a good idea." he asks.

"No, but that's not going to stop me." I say. He gives me a look before careful helping me into a sitting position. My head pound and my shoulder throbs from the movement. I feel like I'm going to throw up. I close my eyes until the feeling passes.

"Here, drink some water. It'll make you feel better." says Toby. He sits down next to me and brings the bottle to my lips so I can drink. The cool water feels good as it goes down my burning throat. I slowly drink the rest of the water. Toby was right. It did make me feel better. I still felt like crap, but it helped. I rest against Toby and lean my head on his shoulder. He gently puts his arm around me, carefully avoiding my injures, and draws me closer.

"What happened Toby? How did you know where to find me?" I ask.

"I figured out that you found the address to the storage unit in my loft, I knew you'd be there." he says.

"Did the entire A team know about the storage unit, or just you and Melissa?" I ask.

"You found out Melissa is A?" he asks.

"Yeah, she's the one that stabbed me." I say.

"She did? I guess I just figured Noel stabbed you." he says. "How did you find out Melissa was A?"

"After I broke into the storage unit, I set a trap that would force the person that was renting it go there. Melissa was the one that showed up and she tried to kill me." I say.

"Wait? You know what's in the storage unit? What is it?" he asks eagerly.

"I thought you knew, you had the address." I say.

"Melissa blackmailed me into being on the A team. I was following her, trying to figure out a way to take her down. I followed her to the storage unit a couple of weeks ago, but never got the chance to break in." he says. "So what was in there?"

"There was boxes full of the things that Melissa uses to control the A team. Evidence that would get them all thrown into jail." I say. "And evidence that would get me thrown into jail with them."

"So you found out what she was blackmailing me with. What did you do when you found it?" he says.

"I took some things that would prove who that A team was, and I destroyed the evidence against me and you." I say.

"Knowing Melissa, she probably has backups." he says. We're both quiet for a minute. I look up at Toby's sad face.

"Why didn't you tell me Toby? I could have helped you." I say.

"I was trying to keep you safe." he says. "But I failed." he looks at my injured body."You didn't fail. You saved my life." I say. He doesn't say anything.

"What happened after I passed out. I remember you saving me from Noel, but nothing after that." I ask.

"I tried to get you to the hospital, but the A team was there waiting for us. They wanted to kill you and blame it on me. I had to crash pass Wilden's car to get away, but they still followed us. I ended up on a dead end road so I drove on to a hiking trail and shut the car off just as they pulled up. Luckily they didn't see us drove away. When I went to start the car again it wouldn't turn over. I guess it was damaged when I hit Wilden's car. I tried calling your friends, but there's no service. So with no way out of here, I had to take care of your injures. Since then I've been working on the car and waiting for you to wake up." he say.

"Oh my god." I say. I'm overwhelmed by what he told we. "What do we do?"

"We get the car fixed and get you to a hospital. One far away from Rosewood and the A team." he says.

"But what about Melissa? She wont stop until I'm dead and you're in jail." I say. He thinks for a minute.

"You said you took evidence that would get the A team thrown into jail, right." says Toby. I nod my head. "We'll use that to take down the A team."

"But we don't have any evidence against Melissa." I point out.

"The A team isn't that loyal. If they're arrested they'll turn on Melissa in a heartbeat." he says. "Where did you put the evidence?" he asks.

"I mailed it to a friend for safe keeping." I tell him. He laughs.

"Only you would think of something as brilliant as that." he says with a smile.

"Thanks. But until the A team is in jail we're still in danger. And what if Melissa still has evidence against me? If she doesn't kill me she might send me to jail" I say. Toby cups my face in his hands.

"Stop thinking Spence. Everything's going to be ok." he says.

"But…" he interrupts me by softly kissing my lips.

"Don't worry Spencer. I'll take care of you. I promise." he says. I look into his eyes. I believe him.

"Ok." I say.

"Toby." I say.

"Yeah?" he says.

"I love you." He smiles.

"I love you too Spencer. I love you so much." He leans down and kisses me again. And in that moment, I know that as long as we're together, everything will be okay.

**Please review. LOVE to hear what you guys think. I'll have the next chapter up as soon as possible.**

**- Rin Shade **


	12. Chapter 12

**Thanks so much for the reviews! I own nothing! **

Spencer's POV

The sun was starting to set, causing the temperature to drop, but I don't mind. The cool air feels good against my feverish skin. I'm standing against a tree, watching Toby work on the car. He wasn't happy when I had insisted on getting out of the car to stretch my legs. He was worried I would pass out again if I moved to much, and I almost did. But after a while, my head stopped spinning and my legs where able to support my weight. And despite my pounding head and throbbing shoulder, I was starting to feel like my old self again.

"Toby?" I say.

"What is it, are you ok?" he turns from the car with a worried expression on his face.

"I'm fine Toby." I say.

"Are you sure?" he asks.

"Yes. I'm fine. I was just wondering about the girls. Do you think they're safe?" I ask.

"I sure they're fine." he tells me. Turning his attention back to the car.

"How do you know?" I ask. " The A team tried to kill me. What if Melissa went after them when she couldn't find me?"

"I worked with the A team for awhile. I know how they operate. Their main goal is to make you, Aria, Hanna, and Emily as miserable as possible. To break you, not kill you. The only reason they want _you_ dead, is because of what you know. The other girls don't know anything. So they're safe." he reassures me.

"But what if Melissa thinks that they do know something? She seemed so desperate. And what if she uses them to get to me." I ask.

"Melissa might be desperate. But she's also smart. She's not going kill your friends on a hunch." he says. "And she can't use the girls to threaten you when she doesn't even know where you are."

"I'm just so worried about them." I say. "I did all this to protect them, and it might just have the opposite effect."

"Don't worry Spencer. Everything will be okay. We can call them when we get somewhere with some cell service." he says. "Ok. I think that should do it." says Toby. He slams the mangled hood of my car.

"That's what you said an hour ago." I say with a smile.

"Yeah, well this time it's true." he laughs. "Now stop being so pessimistic and lets get you in the car." he helps me get into the passenger seat and shuts my door. He runs around to the drivers side and jumps in the car. Then he leans over and gives me a quick kiss.

"For good luck." he says. He tries to pull away, but I stop him. I draw his face back to mine and kiss him deeply. I slowly pull away and look into his eyes.

"In case we need a little more luck." I say. He smiles.

"With this much luck, there's no way the car won't start." he says. He turns the key. The car chokes and sputters but finally starts. Toby's eyes light up and we laugh at are small, but much needed, victory.

"Lets get out of here." he say. He backs out onto the dirt road and we take off.

* * *

It's pitch black outside by the time we make it to a paved road. We're still in the country, and huge forest trees grow on both sides of the road.

"Try your phone again." says Toby. I look at my phone for the hundredth time.

"There's still no service, and it's almost dead." I say. Toby swears under his breathe. We're both exhausted and worried. The relief of getting the car running again had worn off and was replaced by more worries. Toby stops when we get to a crossroad.

"I think right is going towards Rosewood. But if we go left we should get to another town soon and can get you to a hospital." he says. He starts to turn left.

"Wait. Maybe we should head back to Rosewood instead." I say.

"Are you crazy Spencer! There are people there that what to kill you." he doesn't stop the car, and we continue to head away from Rosewood.

"And my friends are there with them. I feel like I'm abandoning them by running away." I say.

"You're not running away Spence. You're badly injured and you need to go to a hospital. You can't help your friends in this condition." he says. "The best thing you can do right now is take care of yourself. And that means going to a hospital that doesn't have a mob of people trying to kill you."

"Fine." I say. I know I won't be able to change his mind.

"I'm worried about them too. But there's nothing we can do until your friend gets that evidence to the cops." says Toby. "By the way, which friend did you send it to?" he asks.

I'm about to answer him when my phone rings. We both jump. I was so distracted arguing with Toby that I didn't realize I had service. I look at the screen and smile.

"It's Aria." I tell Toby. I answer the phone.

"Aria?" I say.

"Spencer. Thank god. Are you ok?" Aria sounds like she's crying.

"I'm fine." I say. "What about you, Hanna, and Emily? Are you guys ok?"

"No, we are not ok. We've been worried sick about you. You've been missing for like two days! We even called the police!" she yells.

"You called the police?" I say.

"Of course we did, you were missing. And we got a text from A saying that Toby killed you!" says Aria, sobbing over the phone.

"What? No. Toby would never hurt me. He saved me." I say.

"Saved you from what?" she asks.

"Listen Aria. There's so much I need to tell you, but right now I need to now if you and the other girls are safe." I say.

"What are you talking about Spencer?" she says.

"Just tell me if you guys are safe." I say.

"Yeah, were fine. Hanna and Emily are right here with me." she says.

"Where are you guys?" I ask.

"We're driving around in Emily's car. Looking for you." she says.

"Stop. Just go home and wait. Keep each other safe." I tell her.

"Wait for what? Spencer, what the hell is going on." she asks.

"I did it. I figured out who A is." I say.

"What! Who is it? Tell me!" she pleads.

"It's…" I'm interrupted by a truck slamming into Toby's side of the car. My phone flies from my hand. I scream as our car is pushed off the road and collides with a tree.

**Hope you guys liked the chapter! PLEASE REVIEW! **


	13. Chapter 13

**Thanks so much for all the reviews! I can't believe I have over sixty. Love the support. And it would be a dream come true to write for PLL! Oh, and I don't own anything. ****L**

Spencer's POV

"_It's…" I'm interrupted by a truck slamming into Toby's side of the car. My phone flies from my hand. I scream as our car is pushed off the road and collides with a tree._

My body launches forward violently. I'm about to crash into the dashboard when the seatbelt stops me and I smash back into my seat. I cry out in pain. My injured shoulder feels like it's on fire. Darkness threatens to cloud my vision, but I push it back and will myself to stay awake. The pain starts to subside, and besides the injures I already had, I seem to be fine. I turn to Toby. He's slumped against the steering wheel and a thick stream of blood is running down his face.

"Toby!" I fumble with my seatbelt and reach out to him. I brush my hand against his face and push his hair away from his forehead. There's a long gash right above his hair line. I press two shaking fingers against his neck. I let out a sigh of relief when I feel a strong steady pulse. He's alive. I drop my face to his and gently kiss his lips. I lift my head and look around, trying to make sense of what just happened. The front of the car is wrapped around a large tree, and smoke is billowing from the hood. I had to get Toby out of the car in case it caught on fire.

I look behind us for the car that hit us, but I don't see anything. An ominous feeling suddenly spreads though my body. Something's wrong, very wrong. I grab my purse off the floor of the car and take out the gun. There's only four bullets left, but hopefully I won't need to use them. I slowly move closer to Toby.

"Toby. Toby, you need to wake up." I whisper. I glace back behind us and nearly scream. Someone's there, standing about fifteen feet from the back of the car. The glow from our taillights only allow me to see the threatening, red glowing outline of a man. His warm breath hitting the cold night air causes steam to swirl around his head. He's holding something in his hand. It might be a bat. Our taillights flicker then shut off. I focus my eyes on the stop the man was standing in, but it's to dark to see. The red lights abruptly flash back on. The man's gone. I start to panic.

"Toby! Toby please, you have to wake up! Toby." I shake his shoulders, desperate to wake him up. I hear a knock on Toby's window. I look up to see a crazed Noel armed with a fire axe.

* * *

I want to scream but there's no time. Noel brings the axe high above his head and smashes it down through Toby's window. I just manage to pull Toby's unconscious body onto my lap and out of the way the axe. Glass flies in every direction and scrapes my skin. Noel looks down through the broken window and smiles at me. His looks swollen and deformed from Toby's attack.

"You've caused us a lot of trouble Spencer. This could've been quick and painless, but now you're going to suffer." he snarls. When he reaches inside the window to unlock the door I point the gun at his head. He freezes, and the sick smile falls from his face. My gun shakes in my hand. I can feel the fear rolling off of me, and so can Noel.

"Don't kid yourself Spencer. We both know you can't shot me." the smile creeps back onto his face.

In that moment I realize that there's no talking my out of this. If I want to survive. If I want to save Toby from these killers. Then I'd have to become a killer. I narrow my eyes and steady the gun. Noel sees the small changes in my demeanor and realizes what I'm about to do. He tries to back away, but it's to late. I pull the trigger and watch the bullet slam into his chest. An animal like cry tears from his throat and he collapses to the earth. I wait for him to get back up, but he doesn't. I lower the gun, but keep a tight grasp on it.

I look down at Toby's beautiful face. I just want to sit here with him and forget everything else in this terrible world. But I can't, there isn't time for that. I grab Toby under his arms and try to pull him from the car, but it's no use. My left arm is completely useless.

"Toby. You need to wake up right now." I say, but his eyes stay closed. We had to move. The rest of the A team could be here any minute. I need to wake him up. "I'm so sorry for this." I whisper to him. Then I slap him across the face as hard as I can. His eyes flutter open and he mumbles something I can't understand.

"Toby. Toby look me." I say, trying to get his eyes to focus on me before he looses consciousness again.

"Spencer?" he finally looks at me. "What's going on?"

"They found us. Toby we need to go. You need to get up." I cry. Toby becomes fully alert when he hears the scared sound in my voice.

"Who found us?" he asks, while trying to sit up.

"Noel. He crashed into us, then tried to get break into the car." I say.

"What! Where the hell did he go?" Toby looks around franticly.

"I shot him." I say. Toby's eyes go wide. He follows my gaze to were Noel's body is lying. He looks down at the gun in my hand. I'm gripping it so tightly, my hand shakes.

"Here Spence, let me hold it, ok." he gently pries the gun from my trembling fingers.

"Yeah, ok." I let him take it and he tucks it away under his shirt. "Toby. The rest of the A team could be here soon." I say.

"I know. We have to get out of here." he says. He steps out of the car, but as soon as he puts weight on his left leg he crashes to the ground.

"Toby!" I kneel beside him.

"I'm fine." he says.

"No you're not." I pull back the leg of his jeans. His leg is swollen and bruised. "I think it's broken." I say.

"I'll be fine." he tries to get up but he falls back to the ground.

"Toby, you can't walk on your leg. You need to let me help." I say.

"You're hurt Spencer. And helping me will only make you're injures worse." he says.

"Well, then I guess we'll just sit here and wait for the A team to come kill us, because I'm not leaving you." I say sarcastically. He looks like he's about to argue, but he stops. He knows it's pointless, and that we were wasting precious time fighting.

"Fine." he says, and lets me help him up. I do my best not to show the pain it causes me.

"Were should we go now?" I ask.

"Let's go up to the road and find Noels car. We might be able to drive it out of here." I flinch when he says Noel's name. The name of the person I killed. I try not to think about it and focus on helping Toby to the street. Just when the road comes into view, a car comes racing towards us. Even in the darkness I can see that it's Melissa's car.

"Come on Spencer, we have to run!" Toby yells at me.

"But where?" I ask. His eyes dart around as he struggles to make a choice.

"This way." he tugs me back in the direction of my totaled car. I avoid looking at Noel's body as we go beyond the smashed car and into the dark woods. We try to move as fast as possible, but with Toby's broken leg, speed isn't really an option. If I were stronger, I could help him more, but can barely support half his weight as we limp deeper into the forest. I can here voices coming from the road and I start to feel panic rising in my chest. Toby senses my fear.

"Don't think about them Spencer. Just focus on moving." says Toby. I nod my head and try to focus on putting one foot on front of the other. It seems to work for a while. The voices fade away and soon we're surrounded by silence. For a second I think we'll make it.

"Wait" Toby stops dead in his tracks. He scans the trees ahead of us. "Shit." he whispers.

"Toby, what is it?" I ask, but he doesn't answer. He removes his arm from around me and takes out the gun.

"How many bullets are left?" he asks.

"Three." I say. His eyes cloud over with an emotion I don't recognize.

"I'm sorry Spencer." he whispers.

"For what?" I ask.

"For not saving you." he says. He pushes me behind him and aims the gun at a group shadows that are walking towards us.

**I hope you liked the chapter. PLEASE review and tell me what you think!**

**-Rin Shade **


	14. Chapter 14

**Thanks for all the reviews. This chapter might be little more gory than the previous ones, just a warning. I don't own anything.**

**Spencer's POV**

"_I'm sorry Spencer." he whispers._

"_For what?" I ask._

"_For not saving you." he says. He pushes me behind him and aims the gun at a group shadows that are walking towards us._

The shadowy figures all switch on flashlights, and Toby and I are drench in light coming from all around us. We're surrounded. I press my body closer to Toby' trying to hold onto a false sense of safety. The four beams of light continue to come towards us. When they're about five feet away they stop, and I can finally see who they are. To our right stands Mona and Wilden, and to our left Jenna and Lucas. Toby swings the gun wildly from person to person, while still trying to shield me from them.

"Get the hell away! I swear I'll kill you." Toby screams.

"You're not the only one with a gun." says Wilden, as he aims his gun at us. Toby quickly points the gun back at Wilden. "I bet I can kill that little bitch of yours before you can even pull the trigger." says Wilden.

"Shut up!" Toby screams. He finger brushes the trigger.

"You should learn to control that temper of yours Toby." says a voice from the shadows. The owner of the voice steps into the light, wearing a red coat. Melissa.

"Hey big A. I was wondering when you'd show up." says Mona.

"You know I hate it when you call me that." says Melissa. She look back to Toby and I. "You're not looking so good Spence. You should get that shoulder looked at." she laughs. Toby points the gun at Melissa.

"Call off your dogs Melissa." Toby growls.

"Please Toby. You're making a fool of yourself." says Melissa.

"I will kill you." say Toby. "I'm not afraid to pull the trigger."

"I know you're not afraid. But you don't really think you can take us all down with that little gun, do you?" says Melissa. "Plus, after Spencer tried to shoot me the other day, I made sure we all had bullet proof vests." Melissa eyes look pass Toby and me. "Isn't that right Noel."

My eyes go wide and the hairs on the back of my neck stand on end. I turn and look behind me. Standing there, is an angry looking Noel with the old fire axe still in his hands. His shirt is torn and underneath it a vest with the bullet I fired at him still lodged in it. Toby and I are distracted by the fact that Noel is alive, and for a split second Toby aims the gun away from Melissa. But that's all the time they need. Wilden knocks the gun from Toby's hands and tackles him to the ground. I rush to help Toby, but Lucas and Jenna grab me from behind and haul me to the ground. The gun Wilden knocked out of Toby's hand is right in front of me. I dive for it but Jenna grabs my hand before I can reach it. She twists my arm until there's a loud snap and it breaks. I scream out in pain and tears roll down my face. I hear Wilden yell for help and Lucas jumps away from me to help him with restraining Toby. Toby does his best to gain the upper hand, but it's two against one and Toby is injured from the car crash. After a few minutes of fighting, Wilden manages to get his handcuffs on Toby, and he and Lucas hold him in place.

"That was pathetic." says Melissa. "You two hardly put up fight." she walks up and kneels in front of me. She picks up the gun that's on the ground by my head. "You can let go of her." she tells Jenna. I can feel Jenna hesitate for a moment before releasing me. I fight against the pain and push myself up off the ground. I succeed in getting myself into a sitting position, so I can look Melissa in the eye. Noel and Mona are standing beside her, ready to strike if I try anything.

"You should have known that you had zero chance of outsmarting me Spencer." says Melissa. She leans in closer to me. "I've won." she whispers. She stands up and backs away from me. "It's too bad you discovered my secret. I would've enjoyed playing with you a little while longer. But we can't all get what we want. It'll all work out in our favor anyway. Your murder will be just the thing we need to break your friends. And with you out of the way, there won't be anyone smart enough to out all the pieces together. Aria, Emily, and Hanna won't stand a chance." Melissa smiles at me, but her eyes are full of rage.

"Why are you doing this?" I ask. "My friends never did anything to hurt you. And I know we haven't always gotten along, but we're sisters!"

"Haven't always gotten along?" she growls. "As if we only had a few simple fights! You stole my fiancé, you little slut!" Melissa yells.

"Get away from her!" screams Toby.

"Shut him up." orders Melissa. Wilden wraps his hand over Toby's mouth while him and Lucas struggle to hold him back. Melissa turns her attention back to me.

"I'm not inocent Melissa. But what happened with Wren wasn't all my fault." I say.

"I might believe you if it had been the first time you stole my boyfriend. But that kind of thing doesn't happen more than once unless you want it to." she says. _No_! Melissa knows about Ian kissing me. How did she find out.

"I knew Ian was cheating on me. I just didn't know with who. So I started to do a little digging. For a while, I thought it was Alison. It wasn't her, but she did know who it was. Alison was a liar, and knew she would never tell me. That's when I became A. I left her notes and threats, to try and scare the information out of her. But she kept silent. I got tired of waiting. So I confronted her that night. I warned her. I gave her every opportunity to tell me the name of the whore that stole Ian. But she wouldn't tell me. Even with her dieing breathe, she wouldn't tell me." says Melissa.

"You…you killed Ali." I say.

"I might have been the one to do the dirty work, but you're the one responsible for her death." says Melissa. "How does it feel Spencer? You've look for Alison's killer, and all this time it was you. The truth hurts doesn't it." she was right. It was me. I killed Ali. It all made sense. That's why Alison had been so desperate for me to tell Melissa about Ian. And in the end, she died protecting me.

"After _you_ killed Alison, I tried to move on. I got engaged to Wren and felt like my life was finally getting better. But you just couldn't stand to see me happy." growls Melissa. "When I saw you, kissing Wren. I knew. I knew you were the one Ian was cheating on me with. I wanted to kill you. But more than that, I wanted to make you suffer. I wanted to rip your soul apart until you wanted to be put out of your misery."

"So you brought A back." I say.

"That's right. But this time, I couldn't do it alone. I needed help. So I got the team together. Most of them wanted to help, but I had to promise that we would take down your friends with you. They wanted revenge for what you and friends did to them and the past." says Melissa. "Of course, others helped because I had information that they preferred to keep secret." Melissa comes close to me. "The evidence in that storage unit was there to keep all of us on the A team loyal. No one could back out. If they did, the evidence against them would be sent straight to the police." Melissa pauses and examines the gun in her hands. "Obviously we don't want that information to be discovered. So before I put you down like the bitch you are, tell me were you hid the information you stole."

This is all my fault. It's my fault Ali's dead. It's my fault Aria, Hanna, and Emily have suffered that last two years. I disserve to die. But if I let Melissa kill me, if I tell her where the evidence is, things will only get worse for my friends. I can't give up.

"You said that you've won, but you haven't. Because I'll never tell you where that evidence is, and you'll never find it. So in the end, I win." I say.

"YOU BITCH!" Melissa screams. She points the gun at my head.

"No!" Toby yells. He pulls himself away from Wilden and Lucas and lunges at Melissa with his hands still bound behind his back. Toby is about to reach Melissa when Noel blocks his path to protect her. He pulls the axe back, and goes to swing it at Toby. Before my mind can register what I'm doing, I throw myself in front of Toby and shield him with my body.

* * *

Everyone stops what they're doing and stares at me. I hear Toby scream my name, but it seems far away. I doesn't really hurt, but I can tell it's bad by the horrified look on Noels face. I follow his gaze and look down. The blade of the fire axe is buried deep in my stomach. Dark blood oozes out around the blade and spats onto the ground. Noel lets go of the handle and stumbles away from me. With no one holding the axe, gravity pulls out of my stomach and it falls to the earth.

The shock of what happened starts to fade and is replaced by pain. I collapse to the ground. I want to scream, but I can't find my voice.

"Spencer! Spencer just hold on." Toby's face appears above me. There's tears streaming down his face.

"Toby." I whisper.

"Noel, you idiot." yells Jenna. "She didn't tell us where the evidence is yet."

"She wasn't going to tell us anyway." says Melissa calmly. "The plan was to kill her, and this will do the job just fine. Plus she'll suffer more this way like she deserve."

"Don't worry Spencer. Everything will be ok." says Toby.

"It's not right to lie Toby." says Melissa. "She not going to be alright."

"I'm going to kill you!" growls Toby.

"I'm sorry Toby, but that'll have to wait. Right now you're going to jail for the Murder of Spencer Hastings. Noel and Wilden grab Toby and drag him away from me. He struggles violently against them.

"Help them. Get him to Wilden's car." orders Melissa. The rest if the A team jumps into action and pulls Toby into the dark forest.

"Spencer! No. Spencer I love you!" screams Toby. His voice slowly fades as they get further and further away. I try to call out to him, but I can't get my voice louder than a whisper. Soon it's just me and Melissa. She stands over me and smiles.

"This is a good thing Spencer. You should be happy that you finally got the punishment you deserve." says Melissa. "I'll leave you to think about what you've done. And don't worry about Toby, I make sure he's taken care of." she turns and walks away, leaving me to bleed to death. I try to form words, to beg her not to hurt Toby, but the only thing that leaves my mouth is a strangled scream.

* * *

All my thoughts feel like they're running away from me. Everything that was ever important to me is slipping through my fingers. I'm dieing. I can feel it. I can smell it. I can taste it. The desperate, uneven beats of my heart pushes my blood through my beaten body, and out of the gaping wound on my stomach. I watch my blood as it spills onto the forest floor. The combined sent of the earthy ground and blood makes me gag.

"Spencer! Spencer, where are you." I can hear Aria screaming my name in the distance, along with the other girls. How did the find me? Did they see my wrecked car on the side of the road? Did A text them? I can see their flashlights swinging wildly through the darkness as they franticly search for me. I try to call out to them, but end up choking on blood. I cough up a mouthful of blood and my lungs spasm as they try to take in air.

Spots dance in my vision. I can barley hear the girls and I no longer can see their lights. They're going the wrong way. Away from me. They'll never find me in the dark. I can feel myself being pulled into darkness. It would be easy to let it take me. I'm in so much pain, and being alive, being Spencer, has been so hard. But I can't die. Not yet. I have too many things to say, too many regrets. And information that will save everyone I love. I know who is on the A team, I know their secrets. I know everything. And it's all my fault.

**So obviously the last few paragraphs were from the first chapter. Hope you guys enjoyed it. PLEASE REVIEW!**

**-Rin Shade**


	15. Chapter 15

**Thanks for all the support! Love the reviews! I don't own anything.**

Toby's POV

She's dead. Spencer's dead. I promised her that I would keep her safe, and I let her die right in front of me. I can still hear the sound that the axe made when it tore through her perfect body. Her blood splattered all over my face when it hit her. And when I looked into her eyes as she struggled to breath, I could see the life draining from them.

Why? Why did she jump in front of the axe? Why didn't I see what she was doing before it was to late? It was meant for me. I should be lying dead and alone in the woods, not Spencer. She didn't deserve this. She was smart, kind, funny, and brave. I should have saved her. I should have fought harder. She's dead because of me.

* * *

_A few hours ago_

"_Spencer! Spencer, no! Let me go." I yell. The entire A team struggles to drag me back to the road. I fight as hard as I can. I can't leave Spencer with Melissa. She's already severely injured, who knows what else that psychotic bitch will do to her. I have to save her. I can't even feel the pain from my broken leg as I kick and thrash in an effort to free myself. But it's no use. They finally get me to what I think is Wilden's car. It's not his squad car so I can't tell. _

_They open the back door and try to force me inside. But I put up to much of a fight and they can't get me in the car. Wilden gets tired of fighting with me and punches me in the face. I barely manage to stay conscious and I fall to the ground._

"_Don't make this more difficult than it has to be." says Mona. I look up at her. She almost looks sad._

"_Please. Let me go. Let me save her." I plead. _

"_It's to late Toby. You had your chance. I'm sorry." says Mona._

"_It's not to late, I can still save her." I throw my pride away and beg her. But before Mona can answer, Melissa walks out of the woods and up to the car._

"_Actually she's right. It is to late. Spencer's dead." says Melissa._

"_No. You're lying!" I scream at her._

"_Don't be stupid. She was practically chopped in half with an axe. You don't really think she survived that, do you?" says Melissa. "You don't need me or anyone else to tell you she's dead. You already know that she is."_

_I don't want to believe it. But deep down, I know it's true. I saw her. The way she looked. She blood pouring from her stomach and bubbling from her mouth. Spencer's dead. I feel it in my bones. That's when I stop fighting, and shut down. _

_I don't notice that when I'm loaded into Wilden's car and taken to the Rosewood police station. I don't say a word when Wilden tells them the story of how I killed Spencer. How he saw the wreaked car on his way home from his vacation, and stopped to see if anyone needed help. And how he heard a scream coming from the forest. And that he got there just in time to see me kill Spencer with an axe. I don't fight it when they throw me in the jail cell. It doesn't matter, nothing matters. Spencer's gone, and it's all my fault._

* * *

The present. Toby's POV

I sit in my cell and I try to ignore everything that's going on around me. Spencer's parents arrived a few minutes ago. I can't see them, but I can hear the cries of Spencer's mom, and the murderous threats towards me from Spencer's dad. Wilden walks up to the officer that's guarding me.

"An armed escort will be here soon to transport him to the hospital to treat his injures." Wilden tells the guard. "Though if you ask me, he doesn't deserve it."

"I heard how he killed her. I bet it was awful to see." says the young officer.

"Yeah. I feel bad leaving the her body there. But I wasn't driving my squad car so I couldn't radio for backup, and there was no cell service so I couldn't call anyone."

"Don't feel bad, it was your only choice. Plus, if you didn't get there when you did he might have gotten away with her murder." says the officer.

"I just wish I had gotten there sooner. I could have saved her from this monster." he say while looking at me.

"You can't beat yourself up about it." says the guard. Wilden nods in agreement then stares at me.

"Has he said anything?" asks Wilden.

"No, hasn't said a word." says the officer. I subtle look of relief washes over Wilden's face. He's about to leave when a detective bursts into the room.

"She gone." he shouts.

"Who gone?" Wilden asks.

"Spencer Hastings. Her body is gone." says the detective.

"What you mean it's gone?" yells Wilden. I can see the panic in his eyes.

"We went to the location you said she was at. There was a lot of blood, and the axe was there, but no body." says the detective.

"That's impossible." says Wilden. Him and the other detective rush out of the room.

I'm in shock. Spencer's body is missing. What does this mean? Did the A team hide her body, was it part of the plan? Wilden seemed surprised by the news. Maybe Melissa took Spencer. But why? Or maybe she's alive? But even if she survived, she was in no condition to get up in walk out of there on her own. Someone would've had to help her. Maybe one of the girls found her. But if they did, they would have called the police once they got her help. Nothing made sense. The only thing I was sure of was that if there was even a glimmer of hope that Spencer was alive, I would find her.

* * *

One week later. Aria's POV

It's been seven days, and the police still haven't found Spencer's body. I'm not sure if that's a good thing or a bad thing. Part of me wants to believe that if they don't find Spencer's body, than that means she's alive. But part of me realizes that if Spencer was alive, she would be here. She would just let us think she was dead.

So much has happened in the last week. When we got that text from A telling us Spencer was dead and that Toby killed her, we panicked. We called the police and told them Spencer was in danger. Not long after that Spencer's parents came home. Both her parents and the police asked us hundreds of questions. We told them we didn't know where Spencer was, but that she might be in danger from Toby. We didn't know if it was true, but Spencer did just tell us that Toby was A.

When they finally let us go, we started to search for her ourselves. We took Emily's car and drove to all of Spencer's favorite spots. When we still didn't find her, Hanna suggested that we go to the Lost Woods Resort. She thought that Spencer might have went back there to look for more clues. With no other option, we drove to the motel. But she wasn't there either. We were on our way back to Rosewood when I finally got a hold of Spencer. I was so relieved I started crying. But our relief was short lived. Right when Spencer was about to tell us who A was, there was a load noise and she screamed.

We found her car by accident. Emily got distracted when I was talking on the phone to Spencer, and she took a wrong turn. After awhile, we realized we were going the wrong way. We were about to turn around when we saw Spencer's wreaked car. Emily slammed on the breaks and we all jumped out of the car. There was no one in the car, but there was a small trail of blood leading into the woods. Hanna grabbed a flashlight and we headed into the forest. We searched for hours but didn't find her. We were about to give up when Hanna saw something.

It was a blood covered axe, and next to it was a huge puddle of blood. But there was no one in sight. That's when we heard the sirens. They were far away, but headed in this direction. We thought that A was trying to set us up again, so we ran back to Emily's car and took off.

Not long after that, we all got calls from our parents, telling us to come home. We arrived at my house awhile later. All of our parents were waiting there with tears in there eyes. They told us everything. That Wilden saw Toby kill Spencer, and that her body was missing. Our thoughts went back to the bloody scene in the woods. We fell into our parents arms and cried, and our parents cried with us. They had know Spencer since she was a baby, and were just as crushed by the news as we were. We didn't want to believe it, but when the police matched the blood in the woods to Spencer's DNA, most of our hope faded. With the amount of blood found, they were positive that she was dead, and an eye witness account from Wilden left no doubt.

After that, the days seemed to blur together. School was canceled, and the only thing that seemed to be on TV was news about Spencer's murder and the search for her body. Non of us wanted to hear the details about her death. We were constantly harassed by reporters so we didn't leave the house. We just spent our time curled up in my room, never leaving each others side.

"I don't believe it." Emily's voice pulls me from my thoughts.

"Not this again." says Hanna.

"Toby wouldn't kill Spencer." says Emily.

"Emily, they found Spencer's blood all over him. And Wilden saw him kill her." says Hanna.

"Since when do we trust Wilden?" says Emily.

"Wilden's a creep, but do you really think he would lie about something like this?" I ask.

"All I know is that Toby is innocent. A has made him look guilty before." says Emily.

"Spencer told us that Toby was part of the A team. We can't trust him." says Hanna. Emily's silent for a few minutes.

"He was my friend." she whispers while fresh tears roll down her face. Hanna and I hug her and cry with her.

"I know Emily. I'm sorry." says Hanna. There's a knock on my door and my mom opens it. There's an odd look on her face.

"Mom. What's wrong." I ask.

"I just got a call from the Hastings. They're having a memorial service for Spencer tomorrow and wanted all of you to be there." she says.

"What? How can they have a funeral when they haven't even found her body yet?" I ask.

"It's not a funeral. Just a small service for family and friends. They weren't sure if her body would ever be found, and they didn't feel right putting it off any longer." says my mom.

"But without a body, how can they be sure she's even dead." says Emily.

"Emily, sweetie, there's just too much evidence. And a police officer saw her die. I know it's hard to except, but it will get easier with time." says my mom, then she leaves.

"You guys agree with me, don't you?" asks Emily. Hanna and I don't answer her. "You can't tell me that you don't believe that there's a chance that she might be alive?"

"Emily's right. Until they find her body I can't really believe that she's gone." I say. Emily and I look to Hanna.

"Fine. I feel the same way." says Hanna. "But what are we suppose to do about it?" she asks. Non of us have an answer. I want so desperately for my best friend to be alive. The only thing I was sure of was that if there was even a glimmer of hope that Spencer was alive, I would find her.

**So what do you think? Is Spencer alive or is A up to her old, body snatching tricks? Please review and tell me what you think.**

**-Rin Shade**


	16. Chapter 16

**Thanks for all the reviews! I've been working on a new story, and I'll post the first chapter when I finish this story. I can't wait to hear what you guys think of it! And also, I don't own anything.**

Melissa's POV

"What do you mean you haven't found her?" I scream. I'm alone with Wilden in the living room inside my apartment in Philly. It's been over a week since Spencer died. I should finally be happy, but no. Even when she's dead, she finds a way to make me miserable.

"I've looked everywhere. She's gone." says Wilden. He has dark circles under his eyes and he looks like he's about to snap.

"Dead people don't just get up and walk away. Spencer's body is out there, you're just not trying hard enough you good for nothing bastard." I say.

"You Bitch." he growls. He comes at me with his fist raised, but I hold my ground.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you." I say. He stops right in front of me. "One wrong move, and you're past will come back to haunt you. I'll send all the evidence I have against you to your cop friends." he lowers his fist, but steps even closer to me.

"That's a pretty weak threat Melissa. Considering that most of that evidence was stolen by Spencer and you still have no idea where it is." he says.

"But I still have enough evidence to get you thrown into jail for the rest of your life." I say.

"So will anyone that finds Spencer's stash." says Wilden.

"You're right. There's a chance that someone might find where Spencer hid the evidence. But Spencer was a devious girl, and she wouldn't make something like that easy to find. So it's a very small chance that anyone is going to find it." I say. "But if you cross me. I can guarantee you that the police will quickly find a reason to turn on you." after a few seconds, Wilden backs down.

"Much better." I smile at him. "Now where were we. Oh right. We were talking about Spencer's body and how you haven't found it yet."

"Look. I want it found as much as you do. The entire police force is still out there in the woods searching, but it's just not there." says Wilden.

"How the hell can Spencer's body not be were we left it?" I ask.

"Some of the forensic guys think she might have been carried off by some wild animal." he says.

"Really? They think something ate her!" I say.

"That's the theory they seem to be going with." he says. "At first they thought that Toby had help and someone took her after I arrested him, but they don't think that's the case anymore."

"What do you think?" I ask him.

"I hope that there're right and an animal got to her. If someone did take her, then that means someone might have seen us kill her and blame it on Toby." Wilden says.

"If someone saw us, they would've come forward by now. So they must be right about the animal." I say. He doesn't say anything.

"What?" I ask. He hesitates before speaking.

"Are you sure she's dead?" he asks.

"Of course she's dead. Why would you even ask that?" I yell.

"She was still alive when I left." he said.

"She wasn't for long. You saw Noel hit Spencer with that axe, she was pretty much chopped in half. She couldn't have survived it." I say.

"So you saw her die?" he asks.

"I wouldn't have missed it. I've wanted to kill Spencer for years, and to finally do it was the best moment of my life. You have no idea how happy I was to watch the life leave that bitch. Spencer is dead." I yell. The look of doubt leaves Wilden's face.

"So we have nothing to worry about. Spencer's dead and our secrets with her." he says.

"That's right." I say, trying to push away my own doubts. "Now leave, I have a party to get ready for."

"Don't you mean a funeral?" asks Wilden.

"To me, it's a celebration." I say. He turn to leave, but pauses.

"Do have any regrets?" he asks. "Over murdering you're sister."

"Non what so ever." I say.

* * *

Aria's POV

Hanna and Emily had gone home soon after my mom told us about the service for Spencer. So this morning, I wake up alone and feeling more empty then even. My parents try to get me to eat breakfast, but I can't stomach anything. After awhile, they make me go up and get ready for the memorial service that's scheduled for noon at the Hastings house. I don't want to go. I still have the slightest hope that Spencer is alive. I feel like if I go, I'll be admitting she's really gone. But I have no choice.

I pull on a simple black dress, and slip on some heels. I don't really feel like putting that much thought into my clothes. My phone beeps, making my heart stop. Non of us have gotten an A message since the night we were looking for Spencer. I can't handle A screwing with me today. I slowly pick up my phone and open the text.

I let out a sigh of relief. It's from Hanna. She tells me that she and Emily are going to the service with their parents, and she was wondering if I needed a ride. I text her back and tell her that I'm riding with my parents and that I'd see them there.

"Are you ready Aria?" asks my mom through the door. I open the door.

"Yeah, lets go." I say. We walk to the car. My dad's already there, waiting for us. My parents have been getting along lately. Mostly for me, but it was still nice to see them trying. It's a quiet ride. I lean my head against the window and close my eyes. I can't believe I was going to another one of my friends funeral. And I can't believe that it's Spencer's funeral. My best friend. Spencer's such a strong person. The strongest person I know. She's to strong to die.

We pull up into the Hastings's driveway. I wipe away a few tears that had slipped down my face. I step out of the car right when Hanna and Emily pull up. They walk up and join me, their eyes look just as red and puffy as mine. They don't say anything. Instead they each grab one of my hands, to support me as much as themselves. We silently walk hand in hand into the house.

* * *

There's flowers everywhere, and servers walk around the crowd with trays of food and drinks. It seems more like a gala then a memorial service. I spot Spencer's mom sitting a corner, staring off into space. Her clothes are wrinkled and her face is wet with tears. I've never seen her so distraught. Spencer's dad is talking to a few people, and excepting there sympathies. Melissa is ordering the caterers around, and seems to be doing ok.

"This doesn't feel right." says Hanna.

"I know. I feel like I'm giving up on Spencer by being here." says Emily.

"But are we?" I say. "Are we really giving up, or do we still believe that she might be alive?"

"I don't know." says Emily.

"Do you think we're just fooling ourselves." says Hanna. "Maybe me just don't want to face the truth. Maybe Spencer is really gone." we all stand there and let what Hanna said sink in. Was Spencer really dead?

"Can I have everyone's attention." calls a voice. We turn and see Jason. He's standing in the middle of the room, a grim look on his face.

"Thank you." says Jason, once everyone is silent. "Almost two years ago I buried my sister. I thought is was the hardest thing I would ever have to do. But I was wrong." he pauses. "Not many of you know how close Spencer and were. I loved her like she was my sister." I can see Spencer's dad getting tense. Hoping that Jason doesn't reveal the he really is Spencer's brother. "I knew Spencer very well. And even though she had a lot of them, there was nothing she hated more than secrets." he pulls a disk from his jacket pocket. "So in memory of Spencer, I made a short movie that truly captures Spencer Hastings."

Jason walks up to the Hastings's huge flat screen and puts the disk in the DVD player. As soon as it starts playing, I break down in tears.

**So what do you think. I love to hear your thoughts. PLEASE REVIEW!**

-**Rin Shade**


	17. Chapter 17

**For those of you who are Troian Bellisario fans, I just watched a short film she stars in on you tube, called A November. It was very good. Sad, but good. You guys should watch it if you haven't see it yet. Thanks for taking the time to review! I don't own anything.**

Aria's POV

_Jason walks up to the Hastings's huge flat screen and puts the disk in the DVD player. As soon as it starts playing, I break down in tears._

It's beautiful. Pictures of Spencer roll across the screen as her favorite classical music plays softly in the background. The pictures are simple, but breath taking. There's a few of her studying. One has her sitting on the floor with dozens of books scattered around her. Her hair is messy and she has her trademark look of determination on her face. There's one of when she's younger, proudly holding up a perfect report card from first grade. An image of her and her mom appears on the screen. I hear a sob escape from Mrs. Hastings. That's when I realize I'm not the only one crying. Almost everyone in the room has tears streaming down their face. Even Spencer's dad is crying.

A voice coming from the TV brings my attention back to the screen. It's Spencer's voice. It's a video of her sitting in Emily's room. She's curled up on Emily's bed laughing. The camera zooms out to reveal Hanna and Emily laughing beside her. I remember that day. It was about eight months ago. It was the day after my birthday, and Spencer had given me a camera. I had just finished charging it and wanted to try it out. We were just having fun. Hanna had said something hilarious and we couldn't stop laughing.

"_I can't believe you just said that Hanna."_ say Spencer, her voice echoing from the TV like a ghost.

"_What! It's true." _says Hanna.

"_Let me see the camera Aria." _Emily takes the camera and points it at me. My face is red from laughing so hard.

"_Scoot closer to Hanna and Spencer."_ says Emily. _"I want to take a picture."_

"_You have to be in the picture too Emily." _says Spencer_. _Emily leans in, holding the camera out in front if us with an outstretched arm.

"_Ok. Now how do I take a picture with this thing?" _Emily asks, causing us all to fall into another fit of laughter.

"_Just press the button on the side." _I manage to say.

"_There's like a hundred buttons on the side, which…." _Emily's interrupted when she accidentally takes the picture and the image of us fills the screen. Non of us were prepared for the picture. We're all laughing and not even looking at the camera. Spencer's head is leaning against my shoulder and she's trying to get herself to stop laughing. I've never seen a picture of her where she looked so happy. It's perfect.

* * *

The screen goes dark. For a moment, I think Jason's heart wrenching video is over. But the scene changes to a different video. The video has been taken through a window. It looks just like an A video. I look at Hanna and Emily. They're wearing the same terrified look that I am. I can hear mumbled voices coming from the video. Whoever is holding the camera gets closer to the window and reveals the owners of the voices. Melissa and Wilden.

The camera's close to the open window, and everyone can clearly hear the conversation they're having.

"_She was still alive when I left." _says Wilden.

"_She wasn't for long. You saw Noel hit Spencer with that axe, she was pretty much chopped in half. She couldn't have survived it." _says Melissa. I gasp. What the hell is this? What's going on.

"_So you saw her die?" _asks Wilden.

"_I wouldn't have missed it. I've wanted to kill Spencer for years, and to finally do it was the best moment of my life. You have no idea how happy I was to watch the life leave that bitch. Spencer is dead." _yells Melissa. Oh my god! Toby didn't kill Spencer. It was Melissa.

Melissa runs to the TV and shuts it off. She turns and faces the crowd. Her eyes are wide and crazed looking.

"It's fake! It's not real! Jason's just a sick person who wants to hurt this family more than it already is." she yells. The crowd is in shock, and talks in hushed voices. Spencer's parents look torn. They don't know what to believe. But I can tell that Melissa's lying. That tape wasn't a fake.

"You bitch." I yell. Everyone stops talking and all eyes turn towards me. "You murder Spencer. You killed your own sister. My best friend." I scream. I lunge at her but Emily and Hanna grab me around the waist and stop me.

"It wasn't me. It was Toby." says Melissa.

"You're lying." I cry.

"I didn't kill Spencer." Melissa yells

"She's telling the truth Aria." says Jason. "She didn't kill Spencer." I look up at Jason. I don't understand what's happening. Melissa looks as confused as I do.

"So the tape was a fake." says Mr. Hastings.

"No. the tape is real." says Jason.

"But you just said that Melissa was telling the truth. That she didn't kill Spencer." says Emily.

"That's because she didn't." we all turn to the familiar voice that just spoke. Standing in the doorway, behind the crowd, is Spencer.

* * *

Five days earlier. Spencer's POV

I can hear a steady beep in the background as I slowly wake up. I can feel a dull pain pounding through my entire body. My head is resting comfortably on a soft pillow and a warm blanket is covering my body. The scent of chemicals and cafeteria food fills my nose. I'm in a hospital. That doesn't make sense. I should be dead. I was in the woods bleeding to death. I was alone. Toby was gone. I tried to stay awake, but I was out of time. Melissa won, didn't she?

I slowly open my eye and take in my surroundings. I'm in an average hospital room. I look over at the table next to me. There's a piece of paper sitting on it with the name of the hospital typed across it. _Springdale city Hospital._ Springdale. I know the town. It's about four hours from Rosewood. How did I get here?

"You're awake!" I jump at the sound of the voice. I didn't realize that there was someone in the room with me. I look to the other side of the room and see a person sitting in a chair. A smile spreads across my face when I realize who it is.

"I guess you got my package." I say.

**What do you guys think? Did you like the chapter? Please review and tell me what you think.**

-**Rin Shade**


	18. Chapter 18

**Thanks for all the reviews! I don't own anything.**

"_You're awake!" I jump at the sound of the voice. I didn't realize that there was someone in the room with me. I look to the other side of the room and see a person sitting in a chair. A smile spreads across my face when I realize who it is._

"_I guess you got my package." I say._

"Yeah, I got it." Jason stands next to my hospital bed and smiles down at me. "How are you feeling? Are you in any pain? Maybe I should get the doctor." he says.

"It's alright Jason. I'm ok. I'm in a little pain, but considering what happened, I think I'm doing pretty good." I say.

"Are you sure? You seem kind of out of it." he asks.

"I think that's just from the medicine they have me on." I say. It's a struggle to focus, but my head becomes clearer with each passing second.

He holds onto my hand like he's worried I'm going to leave him. He looks tired. There's dark circles under his eyes, and he hasn't shaved in a few days. "I was so afraid that I was going to lose my sister." he says while trying to hold back tears. I felt terrible for putting him through all this. I wanted to take time to comfort him, but I needed answers.

"Jason, what happened?" I ask.

"You tell me? How did you find the things in that package? And why did I find you half dead in the middle of the woods?" he asks.

"It's a long story. And I promise to tell you everything, but first I need to know what happened after you found me." I say. I was desperate to know if Toby and my friends were ok. "And how exactly did you find me?" I ask. He's about to say something when the door swings open and a doctor steps inside.

"It's good to see you awake. You gave us all quite a scare Alison." says the doctor. _Alison?_ Did he just call me Alison?

"Yeah, Alison just woke up." says Jason, his eyes are pleading with me to go along with what ever this is.

"Well, I'm Dr. Johnson, how are you feeling Alison?" asks the doctor while he reads my charts. I hesitate before answering.

"I'm okay, I guess." I say. I glare at Jason to let him know he better explain everything later. Dr. Johnson pulls back my blankets and examines the wound on my stomach.

"How the pain?" he asks.

"It's not bad." I say. He nods silently as he replaces the bandages on my stomach.

"That's good. You're injures are healing quiet nicely. You should make a full recovery, but it will take awhile." he says. "I just have a few questions to ask you if that's alright." asks Dr. Johnson.

"Ok." I say.

"Do you remember what happened?" he asks. I look at Jason for answers but he doesn't give me any clues.

"No, I don't think so." I say.

"Your brother told us that you fell through a second story window in your house. We think the glass from the window is what caused the wound on your stomach." he says.

"That's right. I remember tripping and breaking through the window." I lie. "But how did I get here?"

"You where brought here by you're brother two days ago." he says.

"Two days ago? I've been out for two days?" I gasp.

"Yes, but you should consider yourself lucky. You had lost a lot of blood, and when your brother carried you in here you weren't breathing. You had severe internal injuries, and we had to remove part of your liver. We nearly lost you in surgery." he says. "You also have several bruises and lacerations all over your body, and obviously your left arm is broken." he points to the cast on my arm. "You also have some muscle damage in your left shoulder from an injury that looks a few days older than the other injures." he pauses. "I asked your brother what the injure was from, but he said he didn't know."

"That's because I didn't tell him about it." I say. "I was attacked a few days ago. I managed to get away, but not before the person stabbed me." I say. It was as close to the truth as I could get.

"The injury wasn't properly treated. Why didn't you go to the hospital?" he asks.

"I didn't want to worry anyone. And it didn't seem that bad at the time." I lie.

"Really?" the doctor looks at me suspiciously.

"Alison doesn't like to admit it, but she has a huge fear of hospitals. In fact, I surprised she isn't freaking out right now." says Jason. The doctor seem to be convinced by this.

"It's not good to hide injures Alison. It can put you in danger." he says.

"I know. I wont do it again." I say.

"Okay. Well, I'll leave you so you can get some rest." says the doctor.

"When can I go home." I ask.

"You're doing good, but I still want to keep you here under observation for at least a week, maybe two." he says.

"What! I can't stay here that long." I say.

"I know you aren't fond of hospitals, but it for your own good. If you move around to much you'll rip your stitches and bleed out. Even when you are released, you'll need to keep your activity level to the minimum for several weeks." he says. "You almost died two days ago. You have to be patient." the doctor says, then he leaves.

"He's right Spencer." says Jason.

"Why was he calling me Alison?" I ask. Jason sighs.

"Sorry about that. It seemed like a good idea at the time." he says.

"Why?" I ask.

"When I got that package you sent me, I didn't know what to do." he says. "The note you wrote me said _don't trust anyone, and don't tell anyone, _and it seemed like a good idea since the package had pictures of a police officer digging up my sisters grave. I tried to call you and find out what the hell was going on, but I couldn't get a hold of you. Then Aria called me to see if I new where you were, and told me that you had gone missing. I wanted to tell her about the package, but your note said not to."

"So what did you do?" I ask.

"I had an old friend that owed me a favor with no questions asked. I had him trace your cell phone and I tracked you down. I found your car on the side of the road and I found you soon after. I thought you where already dead at first. There was so much blood." he pauses. "But somehow, you where still alive. I tried to call 911 but there was no cell service. So I carried you to my car and drove you to the nearest hospital."

"But why didn't you tell the doctor who I really am?" I ask.

"Right before the doctors came to ask me questions, Aria called me again." he says. "She told me that you had been murdered. That a police officer saw you get killed. I didn't tell her that you where still alive. Obviously the cop was lying, since clearly you weren't dead. And if the police were in on the lie, I didn't know who to trust. I was afraid that if anyone found out that you were alive, that the person who already tried to kill you would finish you off. So when the doctors asked me who you were and what happened, I lied."

"Who did they say killed me?" I ask, even though I already know the answer.

"Toby." he says

"That's a lie!" I yell. "He would never hurt me. He tried to save me! I need to go to Rosewood, to clear his name." I try to move but Jason sees me wince and pain and he pushes me back down.

"You need to say in bed Spencer. You heard the doctor." says Jason.

"But Toby! He needs my help." I say.

"Toby wouldn't want you to kill yourself trying to save him." says Jason.

"Well we at least have to call someone and tell them the truth so they can set him free." I say.

"Spencer, someone wants you dead. If they know you're alive they'll come after you. Toby would want you to stay safe. If we're patient and do things right, we can keep you alive, get Toby out of jail, and take down whoever is responsible." says Jason. I know he's right. But the thought of Toby sitting in jail breaks my heart. But I need to be strong. If I act to soon, it will only hurt Toby more. If we do everything right, A will be gone, everyone will be safe, and this nightmare will finally be over. I blink away my tears and turn to Jason.

"So everyone thinks I'm dead?" I ask.

"Yeah." he says.

"But there's no body." I say.

"True. But they have a statement from Wilden saying that you're dead." he says. "That seems to be all they need."

"You didn't tell my friends that I was alive?" I ask.

"Your note told me not to trust anyone." he says.

"That didn't include the girls. And when I wrote it, I wasn't sure who was else was involved." I say.

"Involved in what?" asks Jason. I don't say anything. "Spencer, you need to tell me everything." he says.

"A came back." I say.

"What? Why didn't you tell me?" he says.

"We were being blackmailed." I tell him.

"So A did this to you?" he asks."A isn't just one person. There's a whole team." I say.

"That package you sent me. Jenna, Mona, Lucas, Noel, and Wilden. There're the A team." he says.

"Yeah. But when I sent it to you, I was still missing the most important piece of the puzzle." I say.

"What was it." he asks.

"I still needed to know who the leader was. The person who was pulling all the strings." I say.

"Did you figure out who it was?" he asks.

"Yes, I did." I say.

"Who is it!" Jason asks.

"It's Melissa." I whisper. His eyes go wide.

"Melissa? Your own sister tried to kill you?" he says.

"Our sister. And yes. I knew to much. She couldn't let me live to tell anyone her secrets." I say.

"But why? Why would she do this?" he asks? I look away from him. How am I supposed to tell the truth. That I'm the reason Alison died.

"It's all my fault." I say. Tears start steaming down my face. "I'm so sorry."

"What do you mean it's all your fault? Why are you apologizing?" asks Jason.

"It's my fault Alison's dead. She died because of me." I say.

**I hope you guys enjoyed the chapter! PLEASE REVIEW! I love to hear your thoughts.**

**-Rin Shade**


	19. Chapter 19

**Thanks for all the reviews! And as much as I wish I did, I don't own anything.**

"_What do you mean it's all your fault? Why are you apologizing?" asks Jason._

"_It's my fault Alison's dead. She died because of me." I say._

Jason just stares at me for a minute. A look of confusion is plastered on his face.

"What do you mean Ali died because of you?" he asks. I try to steady my voice, but it still shakes as I start to speak.

"She died protecting me. If it wasn't for me, she'd still be alive." I say.

"Spencer. Tell me what happened." Jason pleads, desperate to finally know what happened to his sister. I look away from him before I speak.

"Melissa told me in the woods, right before she…" I pause. "She told that the summer Ali died she was searching for the girl Ian was cheating on her with. Melissa found out that Alison knew who it was. She tried to get Alison to tell her, but she wouldn't say. She wouldn't tell Melissa because it was me. I was the girl that Ian was cheated on her with. That night Melissa confronted Ali. But she refused to tell Melissa the truth. Melissa got angry and….and she kill her. She killed Alison because of me…because I'm a lying slut that wouldn't tell Melissa the truth in the first place." I can hardly breathe when I'm done telling the story.

I finally look up at Jason. His eyes are filled with tears and his hands are curled into tight fists. Without saying a word, he stands up and storms out of the room.

* * *

I stopped crying a long time ago. I didn't have any tears left. Jason has been gone for hours. He's probably not coming back. I don't blame him. I basically killed his sister. I bet he wishes he had just left me in the woods to die. Right then the door swings open and Jason walks in.

"I need to leave." he says as he gathers up his things.

"I understand." I say. I still can't look at him.

"You do? I haven't even told you why I'm leaving yet." he says.

"Aren't you going because you hate me?" I ask.

"Hate you? I don't hate you. Why would you think that?" he asks.

"Because of what I did. Alison is dead because of me. It's all my fault." I say.

"Spencer, look at me. Look at me Spencer." says Jason. I force myself to look at him. "I'm only going to tell you this once. It is not your fault. Melissa is the only one responsible for killing Alison, not you. And I was friends with Ian. I knew what kind of person he was. He took advantage of you whether you think so or not. So don't you dare blame yourself." he leans down and hugs me. "I love you Spencer. You're my sister, and I could never hate you." he pulls away from me.

"But you were so angry and you left after I told you what happened." I say.

"I wasn't angry at you. I was just upset. It was a lot to take in. After all, Melissa is my sister too." he says. "All this time searching for Ali's killer. I never would have though it was Melissa."

"I'm so sorry Jason." I say.

"Stop apologizing. You didn't do anything wrong." he says, then starts to get ready to leave again.

"Where are you going?" I ask.

"While I was gone, I did a lot of thinking." he says. "We need to get Melissa and the rest of the A team in jail for what they did. The package you sent me will take care of the others, but we still don't have anything against Melissa. Melissa is smart. Even with your statement against her, she'll find away to walk free and then probably finish you off. So I'm going back to Rosewood to find the evidence I need."

"What? No, you can't!" I say.

"Of course I can." says Jason. "There's no way in hell I'm letting her get away with everything she's done."

"But you can't just leave me here." I say.

"It's ok Spencer. Everyone thinks you're dead. You'll be safe here, I promise." he says.

"I'm not worried about me, I'm worried about you." I say. "If Melissa catches you she'll kill you."

"Spencer, I'll be fine." says Jason.

"No you won't. No one that gets involved with A is ever ok." I cry.

"What am I suppose to do Spence? We need to find something that will put Melissa in jail. And you're not in any shape to go anywhere." he says.

"Just wait." I plead. "The doctor said I'll be out of here in a week. You can wait that long, right?"

"He said a week maybe two. And he also said that when you are released, you'll still be in pretty bad shape." he says.

"Please Jason." I say. "At least wait until you get an update from Aria. They obviously haven't found my body yet, so lets wait and see what happens when they stop the search."

"Fine. I'll wait for Aria to call." he says.

"Thank you." I say.

"It's no big deal." he says.

"No. I mean thanks for saving my life." I say.

"What are big brothers for." he smiles.

Five days later

"Spencer! Spencer wake up." says Jason. I quickly wake up and look at Jason. It had been a long few days. I hated just sitting around, doing nothing, while Toby sits in jail and my friends mourn my death. But I didn't really have a choice. Jason kept me company while my injures healed. When I wasn't sleeping, we talked. It was nice spending time with Jason, even if the situation wasn't the best. The doctors said that I was healing faster than they expected. I walked around the room by myself for the first time yesterday, and even though I was weak and still in pain, I felt ten times better.

All in all. The past five days have been quiet and uneventful. So when Jason started to yell at me to wake up, I nearly fell out of my bed.

"What! What's wrong?" I ask, now wide awake.

"Aria just called me with some news." he says.

"What kind of news." I ask.

"Well, it's more like an invitation." he says.

"An invitation to what?" I ask. "What aren't you telling me?"

"She invited me to your funeral." he says.

"What! How is that even possible! They don't even have a body." I yell.

"Aria said that the police are positive that you're dead, and you parents don't think it's right to wait any longer." he says.

"So what are you going to do?" I ask.

"The service is at noon tomorrow and it's more than a four hour drive back to Rosewood. If I leave now, I'll have time to search for some clues before the funeral." he says.

"I'm coming with you." I say.

"Spencer, you can't." he says.

"Yes I can. My injures aren't so bad anymore." I say.

"The doctors want you to stay a few more days." he says. "You almost died."

"I don't care. I'm still going with you." I say.

"If you move around to much you'll rip your stitches." says Jason. "I'm not letting come with me."

"Fine. I'll just find my own ride back to Rosewood." I say.

"Spencer." growls Jason.

"I'm going, whether you like it or not." I say. "And I'm going to be a lot safer if I go with you." I wait for Jason to say something. I can tell he's having a hard time deciding what to do.

"Ok. You can come with me. But you have to do exactly what I say. No running off by yourself. In fact, no running at all. You have to promise to be careful with your injures, and if you think something's wrong for even a second, you tell me so I can get you to a hospital." he says.

"I promise." I say.

"Okay." says Jason. "Now we just have to find a way to sneak you out of the hospital."

**Did you guys like the chapter! Please review it and tell me what you think.**

-**Rin Shade**


	20. Chapter 20

**I can't believe it! Over 100 reviews! Thank you for all the support. Hope you guys enjoy the chapter. I don't own anything.**

* * *

"_Ok. You can come with me. But you have to do exactly what I say. No running off by yourself. In fact, no running at all. You have to promise to be careful with your injures, and if you think something's wrong for even a second, you tell me so I can get you to a hospital." he says._

"_I promise." I say._

"_Okay." says Jason. "Now we just have to find a way to sneak you out of the hospital."_

"Why do I have to sneak out?" I ask.

"The doctors aren't going to just let you leave in the condition you're in." he says. "I shouldn't even be letting you come with me."

"You don't have a choice." I say. Jason sighs and drags his hands across his face.

"Ok. So the first thing we need to do is get you some clothes." he says. "I think I have some in my car. Stay here and I'll get them."

"Wait." I call out to him from my bed. "Please come back for me."

"I wouldn't leave without telling you Spence." he says. "I'll be right back." he leaves, shutting the door behind him. I lay back in the bed and close my eyes. I'm exhausted and the pain from my injuries is still strong. This is going to be difficult. I know that it's going to take all my strength to go with Jason. It will be even more difficult to not let Jason see that I'm struggling. It'd be a lot easier to just let Jason go by himself, but I can't do that. This entire mess is my fault. I need to be the one to fix it. Jason walks back into the room, pulling me from my thoughts.

"All I had was a sweat-shirt, so I stole some scrub pants from a supply closet." he hands me the sweat-shirt and the thin light blue pants. "I'll just wait outside while you change."

"Thanks." I say. He nods then leaves the room. I slip out of bed to change. It takes me minute to stand without leaning on the bed. I remove the hospital gown and reach for the sweat-shirt. I barely manage to pull it over my head. The stitches tug at my skin as I raise my arms over my head and I struggle to get the large cast on my arm through the sleeve. The whole process is agonizing. The pants are easier to put on, but still a challenge. Lastly is my shoes. I slip on the pair I was wearing when Jason brought me here. There's still blood spattered on them, but they'll have to do. Right when I finish, I hear a soft knock at the door.

"Come in." I say, slightly out of breathe. Jason opens the door and pushes in a wheel chair with some hospital supplies in the seat.

"I took some bandages and things, just in case you need them." he says. I silently nod my head.

"You ok?" he asks.

"Yeah. I fine." I say. It's not a total lie. I feel like crap, but I'm not going to fall over dead.

"Okay." he says, clearly not wanting to argue. He stuffs the bandages into a bag and slings it over his shoulder.

"Get in the chair and lets go." he says. Part of me is feels too proud to except the ride in the wheel chair, but most of me is just glad I don't have to walk. I limp over to the chair and sit down.

"Are you sure you want to do this?" asks Jason.

"Are you really asking me that?" I say.

"It was worth a try." he says. Jason opens the door and checks to see if it's safe to go, then pushes me from the room. No one notices us. We ride the elevator to the lobby and he pushes out the door and into the parking lot.

"That was easier than I thought it would be." I say.

"Most people don't escape from hospitals." says Jason. We get to his car and he opens the door for me. He bends down to help me, but I push him away.

"It's okay Jason. I can do it myself." I say, even though I do need his help.

"Don't pretend like you're ok. I know you're not." he says. "The only reason I'm letting you come with me is because I know you would do something stupid if I left you alone." he kneels down in front of me. "I know you hate to admit it, but you need my help. The only way you're going to make it through this is if you're honest with me."

"Okay. You're right. I need your help." I whisper. He nods his head and helps me into the car. I wince as the movement pulls on my stitches. He shuts the door and goes to the drives side. I glance at the back seat and gasp. It's covered in blood. Jason sees what I'm looking at.

"I'm sorry about that. I should've cleaned it up." he says.

"Is that…." I can't finish the sentence, but Jason understands what I'm trying to ask.

"Yes. That's you're blood." he says. His face goes dark. "It was the worst moment in my life. Finding you like that, the drive to the hospital, listening to the sound of you dieing." he balls his hands into fists and grinds his teeth together.

"I'm sorry for putting you through all that." I say.

"It wasn't your fault. It's Melissa's." he says. He starts the car and backs out of the parking lot. "She's going to pay for what she's done. To you, to Ali. I'm going to make sure everyone knows that she's a monster." he says, as we drive off into the night.

* * *

"Spencer. It's time to wake up." whispers Jason. I open my eyes and look around, confused. I'm in the front seat of Jason's car. It's morning. The sun has just come up over the horizon. We're parked on a busy street, surrounded by cars, buildings, and people. It looks familiar.

"What happened?" I ask. He smiles at my confusion.

"We're in Philly." he says.

"Philly! How can we already be in Philly?" I ask.

"You fell asleep soon after we left the hospital." he says.

"Oh. Sorry about that." I say.

"Don't be. You needed the sleep." he says. "How do you feel?" my body is stiff from sleeping in the car, but the pain isn't so bad.

"I'm ok." I say. Jason looks at me suspiciously.

"Really, I'm fine." I say. "In fact, I think I feel better without all the drugs the doctors were giving me in my system." it's true. My mind felt so much clearer and I wasn't dizzy anymore.

"If you say so." he says.

"Where are we?" I ask.

"You don't recognize the street?" he asks. I take a better look around and my eyes widen with realization.

"Melissa lives on this street." I say.

"Yep. I figured the best place to look for clues is her home." he says.

"I don't think we're going to find anything here. Melissa's wouldn't just…" I stop in mid sentence. My heart starts pounding as my mind fully registers what I'm seeing.

"Spencer. What's wrong." asks Jason.

"Wilden." I say. Jason looks confused, then follows my gaze across the street. He sees him. We both watch as Wilden walks to Melissa's apartment. At first where both frozen. Then suddenly, Jason jumps into action. He grabs his phone a shoves it in his pocket, then turns to me.

"Wait here." he orders.

"Jason! What are you doing?" I ask.

"Just wait here." he says as he gets out of the car.

"But…" he cuts me off.

"You promised to do exactly what I said. Now stay here." he says, then slams the car door and leaves. I want to follow, but something keeps me in my seat. I need to trust him. I wait. My heart is racing. The minuets tick by and my mind is flooded with worry. Maybe he needs my help. Maybe Wilden found him. Maybe he's hurt.

I reach for my door handle. Just when I'm about to open it, Jason appears, unharmed. He gets into the car. There's a huge smile on his face.

"Where were you? I was getting worried." I say. He holds up his phone smiling. "What?" I ask.

"Melissa isn't as smart as everyone thinks she is." he says.

"What do you mean?" I ask.

"She just gave me all the evidence we need to throw her ass in jail." he says, then starts the car. "We need to hurry. We can't be late for your funeral."

* * *

**So what do you guys think? PLEASE REVIEW!**

**-Rin Shade**


	21. Chapter 21

**Thanks for all the support you guys. Hope you like the new chapter! I don't own anything.**

* * *

"_Melissa isn't as smart as everyone thinks she is." he says. _

"_What do you mean?" I ask._

"_She just gave me all the evidence we need to throw her ass in jail." he says, then starts the car. "We need to hurry. We can't be late for your funeral."_

* * *

Spencer's POV

We arrive at Jason's house about an hour before the funeral. It's right next to my house, so I have a perfect view of all the people running around, preparing for my funeral. It makes me feel terrible and guilty.

"Get away from the window." says Jason. He walks up and closes the curtains. "Someone might see you." he walks back to his computer. He has been working on it since we walked in the door. I have no idea what he's doing, or what his plan is. I watched the video he took of Melissa. It was enough to get her arrested. I don't understand why we aren't at the police station right now. I was tired. I want this whole mess to be over with. I want to see my friends. I want to free Toby.

"Why can't we just go to police?" I ask.

"Because Wilden is with the police. He might find a way to cover it up." says Jason. "Besides, my idea is better. It will destroy Melissa." I sit down on his couch. I'm to exhausted to stand anymore. And the pain is getting worse.

"What exactly is you plan?" I ask. "You haven't told me anything."

"You don't need to worry about it." he says without taking his eyes off the computer screen. "You'll just wait here where it's safe, and I'll come get you when it's all over with."

"No way. I'm coming with you." I say.

"Spencer, my plan won't work if you're there. And you can't just walk into your own funeral. Plus Melissa is going to be there. Who knows what she'd do if she saw you alive." says Jason.

"But…." I start to argue, but Jason interrupts me.

"No buts. That's the plan and you need to go along with it." orders Jason. "You have to be careful. You condition is already bad. I don't think your body can take much more stress. In fact, when this is all over, I'm taking back to the hospital." I want to fight him, but I'm too tired. So I stay silent and watch him work. I'm just about to fall asleep when he jumps out of his chair.

"Ok. That should do it." says Jason. He has a huge smile on his face, clearly satisfied with his work. He takes a disk out of his computer and puts it in his pocket.

"I'll be right back." he says, then darts upstairs. After about five minutes, he comes back down stairs, wearing a black suit. He glances up at the clock on the wall.

"I should get going. It's about to start." he says, then turns to me. "Be careful. Keep the doors locked. And don't do anything that will make your injures worse." I don't say anything. He can see that I'm angry about not being involved with the plan. He sighs and gives me a hug.

"This will all be over soon." he whispers, then pulls away. He's about to walk out the door when I finally speak.

"Jason." I say. He turns to me. "Don't do anything stupid." he smiles at me.

"Too late." he says. Then he leaves. I stand up from the couch. It takes more effort than it should. I walk over to the window and peek out. I watch as people slowly start to file into the house. My house. My breath catches in my throat when I see Aria, Hanna, and Emily. They look awful. It breaks my heart to see them like that. It's all my fault. Why the hell did I listen to Jason? I should have called them as soon as I woke up in the hospital. But that would have put them in danger. I have to stay focused. It will all be over soon. But I can't just stay here and do nothing.

I continue to watch my house. Soon people stop arriving. I look at the clock. It's fifteen after twelve. The service has started. Everyone is in the house, and the coast is clear. It's now or never. I grab Jason's black and put it on. I pull the hood up and cover my face. I take a deep breath and leave the safety of Jason's house.

* * *

I slowly sneak over to my house. I duck behind cars and trees until I finally make it to the front of the house. We never use the front door. It leads straight into the unused family room. The room should be empty. I slowly open the front door. I was right. The room is empty. I walk inside and close the door. It feels odd being here. Like I haven't been in my own home before. I walk to the door that leads to the living room. I can hear the murmured conversations of the guests. A noise makes me jump. Someone's coming.

I quickly hide in a small coat closet. I leave the door slightly cracked so I can see who it is. I hear someone sobbing. It's my mom. I watch her fall into a chair and double over from the bitter emotions racing through her body. Her face is wet with tears, and soon, mine is too. I did this to her. I hear someone else enter the room. My mother doesn't even look up.

"I want to be alone." she whispers.

"You have to come join everyone else. Please mom." says Melissa. I freeze. My heart starts pounding. Images of her stabbing me flash through my mind. I didn't realize until now how afraid I am of her. She kneels down in front of our mom. "Everyone is expecting you to be there." says Melissa. My mom looks up at her. Her eyes are swollen from crying.

"My baby is dead. She was murdered in the most terrifying and brutal way imaginable." she pauses for a moment. "Do you think I give a damn about what everyone is expecting me to do."

"Spencer wouldn't want you to act like this. She wouldn't want you to breakdown like this over her." says Melissa. "Do this for Spencer." My mom silently nods her head and lets Melissa lead her back to the guests. It takes all my willpower to not jump out of the closet and strangle Melissa. How can she just sit there and lie to our mother's face. After what she did to me, to Alison, to my friends. It doesn't even hurt her to see our mom like this. I hate her.

Suddenly I hear Jason's voice. I can't understand what he's saying. I slip out of the closet and crack open the door the leads to the kitchen. I look out and see that all the guests are about ten feet away from me. All their backs are facing me as they listen to Jason speak. He's talking about me.

"I knew Spencer very well. And even though she had a lot of them, there was nothing she hated more than secrets." Jason pulls the disk I saw him with from his jacket pocket. "So in memory of Spencer, I made a short movie that truly captures Spencer Hastings."

What the hell is he doing? I watch him play the disk. Is it the video he took of Melissa? No, it's something else. It's pictures and videos of me. Some from when I was younger, others are more recent. I look at the crowd. They're all crying. I spot my friends. They have tears streaming down their faces. Why was Jason doing this?

The screen changes to a video of me and the girls. We're all laughing and having fun. Despite everything, it makes me smile. I missed that so much. Just hanging out with my friends. We haven't done that in a long time. It's hard to have fun when someone is making you're life a living hell.

The scene on the TV changes again. I immediately recognize the video. It's the one Jason took of Melissa this morning. I watch everyone's jaws drop as it shows Melissa saying she killed me. But no one is more surprised than Melissa herself. She quickly shuts off the TV.

"It's fake! It's not real! Jason's just a sick person who wants to hurt this family more than it already is." she yells. No one says anything. They don't know what to believe. The only person to respond is Aria.

"You bitch." yells Aria. Everyone looks at her. "You murdered Spencer. You killed your own sister. My best friend." she lunges at Melissa, but Emily and Hanna grab her around the waist and stop her.

"It wasn't me. It was Toby." says Melissa.

"You're lying." cries Aria.

"I didn't kill Spencer." Melissa yells.

"She's telling the truth Aria." says Jason. "She didn't kill Spencer." Aria look up at Jason. She's clearly confused.

"So the tape was a fake." says my dad.

"No. the tape is real." says Jason.

"But you just said that Melissa was telling the truth. That she didn't kill Spencer." says Emily. I can't take it anymore. I step out of the shadows and speak.

"That's because she didn't." I say. All eyes turn towards me. But non of them stand out more than Melissa's murderous eyes.

* * *

**PLEASE REVIEW. Tell me what you think. I hope you all liked it.**

-**Rin Shade**


	22. Chapter 22

**Thanks so much for all the reviews. You guys are great. Hope you like the chapter.**

* * *

"_But you just said that Melissa was telling the truth. That she didn't kill Spencer." says Emily. I can't take it anymore. I step out of the shadows and speak._

"_That's because she didn't." I say. All eyes turn towards me. But non of them stand out more than Melissa's murderous eyes._

* * *

Aria's POV

Spencer use to tell me that time was relative to the given situation. Sometimes it would drag by. Like the last class of the day. Even though it was an hour, just like all the other classes, it would feel like two. But if you're having fun, time speeds up. It's almost like the universe doesn't want you to have too much happiness. And once in a while, time stops completely. This only happens when you experience a moment that is so unreal, so breathe taking, you needs more than the given moment for your mind to understand it. It's happening right now. Time has stopped. When I see Spencer everything stop.

Spencer. It's Spencer. She's alive. I can hardly believe it. My eyes take in her appearance as I try to prove to myself that she's real. She's drowning in the clothes she has on. Not only are they several sizes to big, but she has lost weight. A lot of weight. She's skin and bone. Her face looks sunken in and there are dark circles under her eyes. Her hair is pulled always from her face, which is covered in bruises and cuts. She's clearly injured. Her left arm is in a cast and she's hunched over and holding her stomach in pain.

What the hell happened to her? She looks like she's half dead. My eyes burn with tears. She's suffering. I can tell. She's been to hell and back. Who ever did this to her will pay. Was it Melissa? Could her own sister really do this to her? I know they never really got along, but how could she hurt Spencer like this.

For a second, I think Spencer looks broken. But then I see it. Despite everything, she still has that look in her eyes. That familiar gaze of determination. That's when I'm sure. It's really her. Spencer is alive.

Once my mind finally wraps around the fact that my best friend is standing in front of me, the inevitable happens. Physics takes over and time starts to move again. That's when all hell breaks loose.

* * *

Spencer's POV

It's hard to see the people you love in so much pain. It's even worse when you know that you're the one that caused that pain. The look on my mother's face is unlike anything I have ever seen. It's a combination of hurt and disbelief. And the sight of my friends faces breaks my heart. It's only been a little over a week since I've seen them, but they look so much older. I did that to them. Their pain is my fault.

The crowd looks at me for a moment. Like they can't believe what they're seeing. Or maybe they just don't recognize me. I probably don't look like myself. I guess they might be in shock. After all, they are looking at a dead girl. I'm starting to feel a little awkward standing here, waiting for someone to react. I think Jason might say something, but he is obviously upset that I didn't go along with the plan. There's a huge frown on his face. Finally, someone does something.

To my surprise, it's my mother. My friends trail behind her, but they can't make it through the crowd that has taken shape around me. My mom stumbles up to me without saying a word. Tears silently steam down her face. She stands in front of me and places her hands on my face. Her eyes are full of questions that she doesn't ask. She pulls me into a hug. She's careful, like she know I'm badly injured.

"My baby." she whispers. I hug her back and cry along with her.

"Mommy." I say. I can hear the crowd around us talking. They have no idea what's going on. Everyone's so surprised to see me alive that they have completely forgotten about the tape Jason showed them. Even I forgot. We all forgot about Melissa. Which only fueled her rage.

She pushes through the crowd and is next to me before anyone realizes what she is doing. She grabs me and rips me away from our mom. She wraps her arms around my waist and neck. She pulls my stitches and I cry out in pain.

"Melissa! What are you doing?" screams my mother.

"Let her go." growls Jason. He reaches for me and Melissa, but she reaches behind her and grabs a knife off the kitchen counter and presses it against my neck.

"Take one more step and I'll slit her throat." yells Melissa. Jason backs off.

"Melissa, I don't understand? What's going on?" cries my mom. Melissa's eye dart back and forth, looking for an escape. She's panicking. She thought she made a clean get away when she left me for dead in the woods. But she was wrong. Now she's trapped. She's lashing out like a cornered animal.

"So the tape was true. You tried to kill Spencer. You're sister." says my dad. He looks so sad. Melissa doesn't know what to say. She was always the favorite. She always had the approval of our parents. She doesn't know what to do without it.

Out of the corner of my eye I see Aria sneaking behind Melissa. Hanna and Emily are doing the same. My eyes meet Aria's and I immediately understand. They have a plan. I need to distract Melissa.

"Tell them Melissa." I say as I continue to watch the movement of my friends. "Tell them how you tortured my friends and I for years. Tell them how you stabbed me. Tell them how you blamed Toby for my murder after you made him watch while I got chopped up with an axe. Tell them how you killed Alison." I scream.

"Shut up!" she screams. "It's not true. You're a lying bitch."

"Give up Melissa. Look around. No one believes you anymore." I say. "It's over." I feel her body tense. She knows that I'm right. She can see the horrified looks on the faces of her family and friends. I jump slightly when she starts laughing like a crazy person.

"You think you're so smart." she laughs. "You think you've won, but you haven't. The game isn't over Spencer. And if I have to lose, then I'm taking you with me" she starts to drag the knife over my throat and I close my eyes. But the knife barely breaks my skin when it's suddenly yanked away from my neck.

* * *

I open my eyes to see my friends have jumped into action. They hit Melissa from all sides. Hanna grabs Melissa around her waist, Aria tries to take the knife out of Melissa's hand, and Emily grabs me and pulls me from Melissa's grasp. Emily and I fall to the ground. I gasp as pain explodes across my abdomen.

"Are you ok?" asks Emily. But I don't have time to answer. Melissa has pulled free from Hanna. She rips the knife away from Aria. Melissa swings the knife wildly at Aria. Aria throws her hands up to protect her face and the knife slashes her arm. Aria screams.

I don't feel my pain anymore. All that matters is Aria. I lunge at Melissa just as she is about to stab Aria. I tackle her to the ground. She quickly kicks me off of her and punches me in the stomach. My vision blurs and I taste blood. She tries to stab me but Hanna is back on her. She pulls Melissa off of me and pushes her to the floor. Hanna tries to take the knife from her, but Melissa's too fast and she stabs Hanna in the foot.

Hanna screams and crumples to the floor. I don't even have time to react. Melissa grabs me and hauls me to my feet. I can barely stand. I can feel something wet spreading through my shirt. Melissa pushes my against the wall and smiles.

"It's over." she says. I expect to feel the knife sink into my heart, but I don't. Instead I hear a gun fire, and my face is splattered with blood.

* * *

Melissa's eyes go from murderous to empty. The knife falls from her hands, her body goes limp, and she falls to the floor. I can see the bullet hole in her back. Dark blood pours from the wound. I look up and meet the cold eyes of the shooter.

* * *

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**-Rin Shade **


	23. Chapter 23

**Thanks for all the great reviews. I don't own anything.**

* * *

"_It's over." she says. I expect to feel the knife sink into my heart, but I don't. Instead I hear a gun fire, and my face is splattered with blood. Melissa's eyes go from murderous to empty. The knife falls from her hands, her body goes limp, and she falls to the floor. I can see the bullet hole in her back. Dark blood pours from the wound. I look up and meet the cold eyes of the shooter. _

* * *

Aria's POV

Blood oozes from the slash on my arm, but I'm too horrified to pay attention to it. I watch as Melissa pulls Spencer to her feet. There's something wrong with Spencer. She can barely stand and there's blood spreading across her shirt. Melissa pushes Spencer against the wall and raises the knife to stab her. I stumble to my feet and race towards them. But I know I'm not going to make it in time.

Suddenly there's a load noise. A gun shot. Spencer flinches as blood splatters her face. For a second, I think she's been shot. But then the knife Melissa's holding slips from her hand and she falls. I look up at Spencer. She's staring at something, but I can't see what.

* * *

Spencer's POV

Mona slowly lowers the gun and stares at me. Chaos erupts around us. The gun shot has thrown the crowd into an even bigger frenzy. Everyone's running, screaming, and pushing. It seems like Mona and I are the only one's not moving. She's standing on the other side of the room. There's no remorse on her face. Like shooting Melissa means nothing to her.

The crowd rushes in front of her, and I lose sight of her for a moment. When the crowd clears Mona's gone. I feel like I should go after her, but my legs won't move. I hear a someone moan in pain. It's Melissa. She's still alive. Without thinking, I fall to my knees and I check Melissa's pulse. It's weak, but it's still there. I put my hands over the bullet wound on her back and try to slow down the bleeding. I don't know why I'm helping her. After everything she's done, I should just let her die. But I can't stop myself. I can't let my sister die.

The blood seeps through my fingers. I try to put more pressure on the wound, but I don't have the strength. I'm getting weaker by the second. My stitches have ripped. I'm bleeding just as much as Melissa. I look around the room for help. The whole room looks like a disaster area. There's blood splattered everywhere. It's on the walls, the floors, and even the ceiling.

I can't see my parents, they probably got caught up in the panicked crowd. On the other side of the room I see Emily trying help Hanna with her foot. Emily's franticly trying to stop the bleeding. I should be help Hanna too, instead of trying to help the person who stabbed her. But I just can't stop myself. I can't see Aria, but I can hear her trying to push her way through all the people. All of the sudden, Jason appears in front of me.

"Jason, please help me." I look up at him and plead. He stares at me and Melissa. "Please Jason. I can't just let her die and I need help." I ask weakly. I can tell he's conflicted. He wants to help me. But he doesn't want to touch, let alone help Melissa. He hesitates for a few more seconds before he kneels in front of Melissa. He takes off his jacket and pushes my hands off the bullet wound. He presses the jacket onto her wound to stop the bleeding.

"Thank you." I whisper.

"I'm doing this for you, not her." he says.

"I know." I say. I lean against the wall behind me and close eyes. I place my hand over my stomach. I'm completely soaked with blood. My injury has torn wide open. I can feel it and it hurts so much. I don't even bother to try to stop the bleeding. The injury is to big, and I'm to tired.

"Spencer?" says Jason. I look at him. "God. Your stitches." he starts to move away from Melissa, but I stop him.

"No. You need to help her." I say.

"To hell with her." he says. He stands and starts to make his way over to me, but this time Aria stops him. She appears at his side and pushes him back towards Melissa.

"I've got her Jason. You help Melissa." she orders. She doesn't wait for him to respond. She turn her attention towards me. I take in her appearance. Her clothes and hair are messed up and there's blood smeared on her face from the injury on her arm, which is still bleeding.

"Aria, you're hurt." I mumble. I'm starting to lose consciousness.

"It's just a scratch, don't worry about it." she say.

"You should get it looked at." I say.

"Why don't we worry about you first, ok." she says. Aria pulls up my shirt and looks at my injury. Her eyes go wide and she turn her head away.

"That bad?" I ask. She looks at me.

"No. it's not so bad." she says. She takes off the her coat and presses it against my stomach. I scream in pain. It's like my entire body is on fire.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry." she says as she continues to press the coat into my injury. Her face is pale and she avoids looking at what she's doing. "Jason, where's the ambulance?" she asks.

"It should be here any minute now." he says.

"I don't know if we have a minute." says Aria. She's right. I can feel myself slipping. I don't have much time left.

"Aria." I whisper.

"Yeah?" she says.

"I'm so sorry. For everything. For not telling you I was alive. I should have…" I start coughing and I can't finish the sentence.

"Don't say you're sorry. I know you only did what you had to do." she says.

"It's more than that." I say. "It was all my fault. The past two years. A was after us because of me." I say.

"What do you mean?" asks Aria.

"Jason will explain everything." I say.

"No. You'll explain it all later. When you're better." she says. "You're going to be fine. I just got you back. So you don't get to die again."

"Tell Toby I love him." I mumble.

"You can tell him. Spencer!" she yells. Aria's voice become distant. My eyes close and my pain starts to melt away as darkness engulfs my mind.

* * *

Aria's POV

"Spencer!" I yell. "No Spencer, stay with me." I don't know what to do. I'm losing my best friend all over again. This can't be happening. I can't let it. "Jason what to I do?"

"Keep pressure on the wound." he say.

"That's it?" I ask.

"It's the only thing you can do." he says. I look at Spencer. Her face is thin and pale. A small amount of blood is trickling out of the corner of her mouth. Her body it limp against the wall and her breathing sounds painful and erratic. I move the coat off her injury and take another look at it. It's terrible. I barely manage not to faint.

The wound stretches across her whole stomach. Her stitches have torn and she's completely split open. I can see straight onto her. I place the coat back onto the injury. I don't how she's going to survived this. Right then, she makes a choking noise and she stops breathing.

"Spencer. Spencer!" I scream. "Jason, she's not breathing!" Jason immediately abandons Melissa and comes to help me.

"Help me lay her flat on the floor." he says. I help him gently lower Spencer to the floor. "Keep pressure on the injury, don't stop." he says. I lean over her and continue to press the coat into her stomach. I watch Jason as he tilts Spencer's head back. He leans down and breathes air into her lungs, and then start doing chest compressions.

I can hear the ambulance sirens in the distance. But I fear it might be too late. I lose all my hope as I watch Jason try to put life back onto Spencer's body.

* * *

**I hope you liked the chapter! PLEASE REVIEW!**

-** Rin Shade **


	24. Chapter 24

**Thanks for all the reviews! I'm loving all the support. You guys are great! I don't own anything.**

* * *

"_Help me lay her flat on the floor." he says. I help him gently lower Spencer to the floor. "Keep pressure on the injury, don't stop." he says. I lean over her and continue to press the coat into her stomach. I watch Jason as he tilts Spencer's head back. He leans down and breathes air into her lungs, and then start doing chest compressions._

_I can hear the ambulance sirens in the distance. But I fear it might be too late. I lose all my hope as I watch Jason try to put life back onto Spencer's body._

* * *

Toby's POV

You once told me that hope breeds eternal misery. At the time, I laughed and told you that you were too pessimistic and that you shouldn't view the world in such a negative way. I told you that the world has more to offer than just misery. But now I see the truth. You were right. Those of us who are naïve enough to hope only end up crushed and disappointed.

I was one of those people. I dared to hope. Time and time again I let myself hope only to fall flat on my face. A week ago when they said that your body was missing, I gave into hope. I thought that maybe you were alive. When they transferred me to the hospital I had hoped to see you there. While the doctors put the cast on my broken leg I imagined someone running into the room to tell me that you where there in the hospital being treated for your injuries, and that you were going to be fine. And as I limped to the elevators as the police officers escorted me back to jail, I continued to hope.

The days passed and you were still missing. My hope faded. And as my hope faded, I started to see things clearly. I realized that you had been left in the middle of the woods broken and bleeding. You couldn't have gotten out of there yourself. And if someone did manage to find you alive, they would have called the cops. If you were alive, everyone would know. You're gone. You died Spencer.

It was stupid of me to hope. But I won't let it happen again. I've learned my lesson. I'll never let myself hope for anything ever again. It won't be that hard, since I have nothing left to hope for.

A lawyer came and talked to me this morning. He's an over weight fifty or so year old man with a bad comb over. You knew more about the law then he does Spencer. He told that tomorrow I would be transferred to prison to wait for my court hearing. Then he asked me if I was innocent. I didn't say anything. Part of me wants to fight and take down the bastards that killed you. I want to make them suffer. But the other part of me just wants to give up. I can't win against Melissa. Even if I could, it wouldn't bring you back. I'm not sure what I should do. I wish I could ask you. I wish I had you to talk to instead of just my memory of you.

What would you say? What would you want me to do? Would you even speak to me? I wouldn't blame you if you didn't. After all, it's my fault you're dead. I broke my promise to you. I let them kill you. It's alright if you hate me. I hate me too.

Shouting pulls me from my thoughts. From my position in the jail cell I can see all the cops running around the station, yell orders and taking phone calls. Someone big is happening. What do you think it is Spencer? Is it about you? Did they find your body?

Wilden walks into my line of sight. He looks confused by all of the commotion. He grabs one of the officers running by him.

"What the hell is going on?" he asks. He's just close enough for me to hear what he's saying.

"There's been several calls about a disturbance at the Hastings residence. There's reports of shots fired, a hostage situation, and possible casualties." says the officer. Did he just say the Hastings residence? That's your house Spencer. I think I remember someone saying that there was going to be a service there for you today. I wonder if Aria, Hanna, and Emily are there? Do you think they're ok?

"I'm going over there." says Wilden. He turns to leave, but someone stops him. It's the chief of police.

"I'm sorry detective, but I can't allow you to do that." says the chief.

"Is there a problem sir?" asks Wilden.

"We got a few call. People calming that you were somehow involved with the murder of Spencer Hastings and whatever is going on at the Hastings residence." says the chief.

"That's impossible." yells Wilden. "Non of it's true."

"Of course, but we still have to hold you here until it's all cleared up." says the chief. Wilden doesn't says anything. He just silently follows the police chief to another room.

What's going on at your house? How did people find out that Wilden was involved in your death? Do they know about the others. Do they know about your sister? But how would they know about their involvement? Besides the people that killed you, I'm the only one that knows what really happened. Unless you…. No! I won't do that. I can't let myself hope for the impossible. Can I?

* * *

Aria's POV

Paramedics and police officers burst into the room. But I hardly notice them. I'm too focused on keeping pressure on Spencer's injury. Jason continues his efforts to save Spencer as well. One of the paramedics kneels down to help Melissa, but Jason stops him.

"No! you help her first." Jason snaps. The paramedic ignores him and continues his work on Melissa. But two other paramedics lean down to help us. They pull Jason and I off of Spencer. I struggle against them.

"Let go! I have to save her!" I scream.

"If you want to help your friend, you'll let us do our job." says the medic. I stop fighting and I move out of the way. The paramedics start working on Spencer. They cut open her shirt and apply bandages to her stomach. One of them opens a bag and pulls out a defibrillator. They place the paddles on her chest.

"Clear." shouts the paramedic. The other paramedic keeping pressure on her stomach moves away from Spencer. They activate the paddles. Spencer's entire body convulses for half a second before falling back to the floor. They check her pulse.

"Nothing. Charging to three hundred. Clear." the paramedic yells and shocks her gain. I watch as they search for a pulse again. Suddenly I feel someone grab my hand. I look up and see Emily. Hanna's there with her. She's using Emily as a crutch so she can keep the weight off her foot. Both of their eyes are fixed on Spencer. Emily squeezes my hand, too reassure me that I'm not alone. I look back to Spencer.

The paramedic is doing chest compressions now. He's talking to the other paramedics about something, but he's using medical terms that I don't understand. He stops the compressions for a moment and grabs a large syringe full of a cloudy liquid. He takes the cap off the syringe and then plunges it into her chest.

I flinch when the needle hits her, but I don't look away. I watch as he injects the liquid into her then throws the needle to the side. He checks her pulse again. A frown appears on his face as he listens intently for any signs of life.

"There's a pulse." he shouts, making me jump. "But I'm not sure for how long. We've got to get her to the hospital now." they quickly start loading her up on a bed.

"So she's alive. She's going to be ok. Right?" I ask. I start to walk up to Spencer but a paramedic stops me. "I have to go with her. I need to make sure she's alright." I cry. Part of me knows I can't go with her. I know I need to let them do their job.

"I'm sorry. But you can't go." he says.

"No. I just got her back." I say. I watch as they wheel Spencer away and load her up in the ambulance. Her mom and dad get in the back with her and they drive away. I look around the destroyed room. It's almost empty now. There's a few paramedics left and a handful of cops. Besides them, Jason, Emily, Hanna, and I are the only ones there.

Jason's talking to a police officer. There's blood all over him and there's tears in his eyes. Emily is helping a paramedic get Hanna to an ambulance. Hanna's face is pale and she looks like she might pass out. Right before they leave Emily looks at me and waves.

"See you at the hospital." she says with a grim and worried look in her face. I can hear my parents trying to get passed the cop at the door so they can see me. Right then I realize someone's missing.

"Where's Melissa?" I ask. I start to look around franticly. She can't get away. I won't let her escape. Not after what she did to Spencer. The paramedic that stopped me earlier grabs me by my shoulders.

"Miss. Just calm down." he orders. I do what he says. "Good. Now tell me who you're looking for."

"Melissa. The….the girl who got shot in the back." I say.

"She was taken to the hospital right after we arrived." he says with a concerned look on his face. "You were standing right there when we took her. Remember?" I try to remember, but I don't. All I see is Spencer. Suddenly I feel dizzy and I start to sway.

"Are you ok?" asks the paramedic. No. I'm not ok. Everything that has happened finally starts to sink in. I feel like I'm going to get sick. My knees buckle and I start to fall, but the paramedic catches me.

"I need some help over here!" he shouts. Another paramedic races over to help. "She's in shock, and it looks like the injury on her arm needs stitches." I don't fight them as they lead me to an ambulance. I don't speak to my parents when they get into the back of the ambulance with me. I can't. my mind is somewhere else. My mind is with Spencer.

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**Hope you guys liked the chapter! PLEASE REVIEW, and tell me what you think. Your comments are much appreciated.**

**-Rin Shade **


	25. Chapter 25

**Thanks for all the reviews you guys! I don't own anything.**

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"_I need some help over here!" he shouts. Another paramedic races over to help. "She's in shock, and it looks like the injury on her arm needs stitches." I don't fight them as they lead me to an ambulance. I don't speak to my parents when they get into the back of the ambulance with me. I can't. my mind is somewhere else. My mind is with Spencer._

* * *

Aria's POV

"That should do it." says the doctor as he finishes stitching up my arm. "How are you feeling?"

"I'm fine." I say, even though I'm anything but fine.

"Are you sure? You were in shock when they brought you in here." he says. I was in shock. I don't even remember the ride to the hospital. But somewhere between getting in the ambulance and getting my arm stitched up, I managed to snap out of my trance.

"I'm doing a lot better now." I say.

"I would like to keep you here for a few hours. Just to make sure you're ok." he says.

"Can I go to the waiting room with my family?" I ask. "We're all waiting to see if our friend is going to be ok."

"I guess that's ok. I'll have to clear it with you're parents." he says. "Just wait here for a minute." he leaves to go talk to my parents. I jump off the bed and start to pace back and fourth. I'm anxious to get out to the waiting room and find out what's going on. I need to know if Spencer's ok. I need answers. I still have no idea what's going on. I don't know why Melissa wanted to kill Spencer. Is Melissa A? Is that why she wanted Spencer dead. Where was Spencer for the past week and a half? And how does Jason fit into all this.

The door to my room opens and the doctor walks in.

"You can go ahead and wait with your friends and family Miss Montgomery." he says.

"Okay, thanks." I say.

"A nurse will come and check on you in a couple of hours." he says.

"Alright." I say. I quickly walk by him and out into the hall way. After a few twists and turns I make it to the waiting room. I look inside and before walking in.

Spencer's parents are there. Her mother is sitting in a corner holding hands with Spencer's dad. They both have tears in there eyes. My parents are there too. They're talking with Hanna's mom, who is clearly upset. I finally spot Emily. She's sitting off to the side with her mom.

I wonder if they've heard any news yet? I can't tell. Non of them look happy or relived. But that could simply mean that they haven't heard anything yet. Either way, I can't wait out here forever. I take a deep breathe and walk in to waiting room. Everyone looks up at me when I walk in. My parents rush to my side.

"Aria. We were so worried." says my dad.

"Are you ok?" asks my mom.

"I'm fine." I say. "It's just a small cut. I only needed a few stitches." I know that they're not really concerned about my arm. From what the doctor told me, I was pretty much catatonic when I was brought here. So they're more worried about my mental heath.

"Are you sure you're alright." asks my dad.

"Yes. I'm doing a lot better now." I tell them. "Have you heard if Spencer is ok?"

"They took her straight to surgery when she got to the hospital." says my mom. "They're still working on her, and the doctors said that it could be hours before we hear any news."

"But she's going to be ok, right?" I ask.

"We don't know honey." says my dad. "We just need to wait and see." I was hoping that my parents would tell me that everything was going to be alright. But I'm not a little girl anymore, and I have to face the truth. Spencer could die.

"I need to talk to Emily." I tell my parents.

"Ok sweetie." says my mom. They both give my one last hug before I head over to where Emily and her mom are sitting. Emily sees me coming. She jumps up from her seat and throws her arms around me. She doesn't say anything. She knows that there's nothing she could say that would make either of us feel any better. We finally separate from the hug. We both have tears falling from our eyes.

"Are you ok?" she says. I give her a look. "Yeah, stupid question." she says.

"Where's Hanna?" I ask.

"She's in surgery." says Emily.

"What!" I say. I start to panic.

"Aria it's ok! She's going to be fine." says Emily.

"She is?" I ask.

"Yes." says Emily. "The knife broke a few bones in her foot. The doctors are repairing them. It's a really simple procedure. She'll be out of surgery in less than an hour."

"Thank god she's ok." I say. I collapse into a chair and bury my face in my hands. "What the hell is going on Emily?" she sits down next to me.

"I don't know." says Emily.

"Is Melissa A?" I ask.

"I'm not sure. Spencer said that she was the one who was torturing us." she says.

"She also said that Melissa killed Ali. Do you think that's true?" I say.

"I don't know. I'm just as confused as you." she says. "Spencer and Jason are the only ones that can answer our questions. Spencer is in no condition to answer any questions and Jason is at the police department."

"Why is Jason at the police department?" I ask.

"He's giving them his statement. And he's getting Toby out of jail." she says. I had completely forgotten about Toby.

"I sorry for not believing you when you said that Toby was innocent." I say.

"Don't be." she says, "I was even having my doubts."

"Emily." I say.

"Yeah." she say.

"I'm scared." I say.

"Me too." she whispers. She grabs onto my hand and we sit there in silence, waiting for someone to tell us that everything is going to be ok.

* * *

Toby's POV

After about two hours of pure chaos, the police station has finally calmed down. But there's still a sense of urgency in the air. I wish someone would tell me what's going on. I don't know why I want to know. It won't change the fact that Spencer is dead. I guess I'm just worried about Emily, Hanna, and Aria.

I lean against the wall in my cell. I feel a tear roll down my face. It should have been me. Spencer should be alive. I should be dead. I wish I were dead. Life without Spencer isn't worth living. Spencer was the only good thing about this terrible world. She made everything look beautiful. Without her, the world is just a dark ugly place that I have no desire to be apart of.

I hear screaming out in the hallway. It sounds like a fight. The door to the holding area bursts open. Three officers drag a very angry Wilden in. Wilden struggles to get free of the handcuffs. He tries to knock the officers down, but they over power him.

"It's not my fault!" screams Wilden. "I was blackmailed. Get the hell off of me!" the officers ignore him and throw him into the jail cell next to mine. Wilden continues to scream and he throws his weight against the door of the cell. Two of the officers leave, but one of them stays.

He comes up to my cell and unlocks it.

"You're free to go." he say.

"I am?" I say.

"All charges against you have been drop." he says. I just sit there and stare at him. "Your friend here told us what really happened, and he cleared you of all charges." he says and points to someone out in the hallway. I stand up and look out in the hallway. It's Jason. How does Jason know what really happened?

"Did you find the real killer?" I ask the officer.

"It's hard to find a kill when there hasn't been a murder." he says.

"What are you talking about?" I ask. My heart starts pounding.

"Spence Hastings is alive." he says.

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**I really hope you guys liked the chapter. PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE LEAVE A REVIEW! **

-**Rin Shade **


	26. Chapter 26

**Hi everyone! Sorry about the wait. I live in Arkansas, and my town got hit by a few small tornados. My power was out for a while so I couldn't update. I don't own anything.**

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"_All charges against you have been dropped." he says. I just sit there and stare at him. "Your friend here told us what really happened, and he cleared you of all charges." he says and points to someone out in the hallway. I stand up and look out in the hallway. It's Jason. How does Jason know what really happened? _

"_Did you find the real killer?" I ask the officer._

"_It's hard to find a kill when there hasn't been a murder." he says._

"_What are you talking about?" I ask. My heart starts pounding._

"_Spencer Hastings is alive." he says._

* * *

Toby's POV

Alive. She's alive. Spencer, my Spencer, is alive. Nothing else matters. I don't care about anything else. I feel a smile spread across my face, and tears start to spill out of my eyes.

"She alive." I say.

"Yep." says the officer. "Apparently she showed up at her own funeral. Can you believe that?"

"Is she ok?" I ask.

"I don't know. You'll have to ask your friend." say the officer.

"Ok, thank you." I say. I start to limp down the hall towards Jason.

"Hold on." says the officer. I turn around to see what he wants. "You'll need these." he hands me a set of crutches for my broken leg. "Good luck." he says. I nod my head then I start back towards Jason. It's a lot easier to move around with the crutches. When I get closer to Jason, I can see that something is wrong. His face is full of worry and his shirt is stained with blood.

"Jason. Is it true? She's alive, she's ok?" I ask.

"Not here." says Jason. "Come on. We have to go." he heads out of the police station, and I have no choice but to follow him. We make it his car and he gets inside. I throw my crutches into the back seat then I get in the passenger side. He starts the car and we take off.

"What's going on? Where are we going?" I ask.

"Rosewood memorial." says Jason.

"Why are we going to the hospital? Is Spencer ok?" I ask.

"No. She's not ok." says Jason grimly.

"Why the hell not?" I ask. I'm staring to get angry. I need answers and I'm not getting them. "What happened to her?"

"You already know what happened." says Jason. "You were there, remember. Melissa, the A team, her getting hit with the axe."

"But she's going to be ok, right?" I ask. She has to be ok. I just got her back.

"I'm sorry Toby, but I honestly don't know." he says. "She was in pretty bad shape when I saw her last, and she's in surgery right now."

"What the hell is going on Jason? What happened at the memorial service? The officer said that Spencer was there. Is that true?" I ask.

"Yeah, she was there." says Jason.

"Why? Where was she the past two weeks?" I ask.

"I was trying to keep her safe." he says.

"Wait. You were with her? You knew she was alive all this time." I ask. Jason keeps his eye on the road and doesn't say anything. But his silence answers my question.

"How could you. I thought she was dead! You let me think she was dead all this time!" I yell.

"Spencer wanted to tell you." says Jason. "But I stopped her because if the wrong people found out that she was alive, they would have tried to kill her again." I calm down when he tells me this.

"What happened Jason? How did you find her?" I ask.

"It's a long story." he says.

"We've got ten minutes before we get to the hospital." I say. "Start talking."

* * *

We park the car at the hospital just as Jason finishes telling me what happened after the A team dragged me away from Spencer.

"I told her to stay at my house. She promised me that she would. I should have never let her come with me. She'd be fine if I had made her stay at the hospital." says Jason. "If she dies, it will be my fault." it would be easy for me to blame him, but it's not his fault.

"You did the best you could do." I say. "We both know that when Spencer wants to do something, there's no stopping her."

"Yeah, I guess you're right." he says. "Come on. We better go inside and see what's going on." we get out of the car and head to the front doors of the hospital. I follow Jason to the elevators and we wait for the doors to open.

"I'm sorry about everything." says Jason. "I can't imagine what it must have been like for you the past two weeks. Thinking that she was dead. I should have found a way to tell you that she was alive."

"No, you did the right thing." I say. "It would have been to big a risk to try and tell me. They would have found out." the elevator door slides open and we step inside.

"I just feel like I should have done things differently." says Jason. I can tell he feels guilty. But he shouldn't. I'm the one who let Spencer down. I promised her that I would keep her safe. But instead, I let the A team hunt her down and chop her in half with an axe. Then I left her out there in the woods by herself. She must have been terrified. She probably thought she was going to die alone. This whole mess is my fault. Spencer would be fine if I had been strong enough to protect her.

The doors to the elevator open and Jason and I step out into the hallway.

"The waiting room is this way." says Jason.

"When can we see her." I ask

"Emily called and told me that her surgery could last hours." he says.

"Emily's here?" I ask.

"Yeah, everyone's here." he says as we walk down the hall. "Spencer's parents, Aria, Hanna, Emily, and their parents."

"Why are all of their parents here?" I ask.

"Aria had to get stitches and Hanna had to have surgery on her foot, remember." says Jason.

"That's right. I forgot." I say. I was to worried about Spencer to remember that her friends had gotten hurt.

"Emily's can't wait to see you." he says. "Here we are." Jason holds open the waiting room door for me. I walk into the room, and all eyes turn to me.

Everyone stops what they're doing and stairs at me. I can't blame them. Up until about three hours ago, they had all thought I murdered Spencer. I start to feel uncomfortable, but Emily saves me. She runs across the room and slams into me. She hug me tightly and starts to cry.

"Toby, you're ok." says Emily through her tears. I try to hug her back without dropping my crutches. She pulls away from me. "Toby! Your leg."

"It's fine Emily, don't worry about." I say.

"I'm so sorry. I should have been there for you. I knew you could never hurt Spencer. But I just.. I was so…I wasn't sure what…" she breaks down crying again. I let my crutches fall to the ground, then I wrap her in a tight hug.

"It's ok Emily. Everything is ok." I whisper.

"No it's not. Nothing is ok. This is all so wrong." she says. I lead her to a seat and help her sit down. I continue to hug her while she cries into my shoulder. Aria and Jason come and sit down next to us.

"Have you heard anything about Spencer?" I ask quietly.

"No, we haven't." says Aria. "But Hanna just got out of surgery and she's going to be fine." this news catches Emily's attention.

"She is?" asks Emily.

"Yeah." says Aria. "The doctor said we can go and see her in a couple of hours." Emily nods her head and wipes the tears off her face.

"Sorry for crying so much." she says. "I should have held it together."

"Don't apologize for crying." I say.

"Yeah Em." says Aria. "We're your friends. You don't have to pretend to be ok around us."

"Thanks." she whispers. We all sit in silence for a few minutes. But then suddenly, Spencer's parents walk up to us.

"Toby?" says Mr. Hastings.

"Yes?" I say.

"You were with Spencer when she disappeared." he says.

"Yes, I was." I say.

"Spencer said you tried to save her." say Mr. Hastings.

"I'm sorry I wasn't able to protect her." I say.

"So you were with her when Melissa tried to…" he can't finish his sentence.

"Yeah. I was with her." I say. Spencer's dad tries to ask me something else, but he doesn't seem to be able to speak. So Mrs. Hastings speaks for him.

"Please Toby." says Mrs. Hastings. "Tell us everything that happened. Tell us why this happened to our daughter."

* * *

**What do think? Is Toby going to tell them everything? Will he tell them about A? PLEASE LEAVE A REVIEW! **

**-Rin Shade **


	27. Chapter 27

**Thanks so much for all the amazing reviews! This story is getting close to the end! Please keep reviewing, I always love to hear from you guys. I don't own anything.**

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"_I'm sorry I wasn't able to protect her." I say._

"_So you were with her when Melissa tried to…" he can't finish his sentence._

"_Yeah. I was with her." I say. Spencer's dad tries to ask me something else, but he doesn't seem to be able to speak. So Mrs. Hastings speaks for him._

"_Please Toby." says Mrs. Hastings. "Tell us everything that happened. Tell us why this happened to our daughter."_

* * *

Toby's POV

I stare at Mr. and Mrs. Hastings for a moment, unsure of what I should say. What should I tell them? They said they wanted to know everything, but should I really tell them _everything_? Should I tell them that A never stopped harassing the girls, that Melissa was A all along, and that she was the one that killed Alison? And do they really need to know every gruesome detail of what happened to Spencer? I would give anything to have the memory of Spencer lying bleeding and broken wiped from my mind. Do I really want to burden her parents with that memory too?

And then there's Aria, Hanna, and Emily. Will they be safe if I tell all of A's secrets? The A team has a lot of information that could hurt the girls. Will the remaining members of the A team retaliate if I talk, or will they crumble without their leader?

I turn and look at Emily and Aria. They're both looking at me with wide eyes. I call tell they want to know what happened to Spencer as much as her parents do, but they also know that my telling them might reveal some sensitive secrets to everyone in the room.

I silently ask for their permission to talk. They hesitate for second before they nod their heads and urge me to continue. I'm slightly surprised by their decision. It's a big risk.

"Are you sure it's ok?" I ask. Spencer's parent's seem confused by my question to Aria and Emily, but they don't say anything.

"Yes, we're sure." says Aria.

"Yeah, it's time to stop keeping secrets." says Emily.

"You know what this could mean, right? You're risking a lot." I say. Before the girls can respond, Jason steps into the conversation.

"They're not risking anything." says Jason. "I already took care of the team."

"How?" I ask.

"Spencer made sure I had what I needed to stop them." he say. Of course. I remember Spencer telling me she found evidence that incriminated the members of the A team. She told me that she sent the evidence to a friend. Jason must have been that friend. A sad smile spreads across my face. Only Spencer could continue to help her friends while unconscious and in surgery.

"What team?" I'm pulled from my thoughts by the question. I look up to see that a group has formed around Aria, Emily, Jason, and I. All the girl's parents had over heard the conversation we were having and had surrounded us so that they could get some answers too. Hanna's mom is the one who asked the question.

"What team?" she repeats. I start to get a little nervous with six emotional parents staring down at me. I feel Emily grab my hand. I look at her and she smiles at me. I smile back and then turn to the group. I take a deep breath and begin my story by answering Mrs. Marin's question.

"Mona wasn't the only A." I say. "There is a whole group of people tormenting the girls. They call themselves the A team, and they never went away. They kept harassing the girls after Mona went to Radley. They never Stopped."

"What?!" all the parents start yelling and talking at the same time. Emily and Aria are bombarded with questions.

"Who's on this team?" they ask.

"Why didn't you tell us sooner?" someone yells.

"We could have helped you." says someone else.

"Don't you trust us?" asks a voice. They don't even give the girls a chance to answer.

"Stop." yells Jason. Everyone stops talking and looks at him. "I know all of you want answers, but this isn't the way to get them." they all silently agree. "Just give us all a chance to tell our side of the story, and I'm sure by the end you'll have most of you're questions answered." they all nod in agreement and I continue my story.

* * *

No one interrupts us as we tell them what happened. I do most of the talking. Once in a while Aria or Emily will jump in to fill in the blanks. Everyone goes pale as Aria tells them about being doused in blood, and how her Emily and Hanna found the bloody axe in the woods moments before the police arrived. I hear Spencer's parents cry as I tell them about finding Spencer with a knife in her shoulder and Noel's hands around her throat. Aria and Emily gasp when I tell them the identity's of the A team members. I tell them how Spencer and I ran from them. I tell them about the car crash and how I broke my leg and couldn't run. I tell them how Spencer wouldn't leave me when I told her to, and instead she stayed with me and helped me stagger through the woods. I tell them it was my fault that the A team caught up to us.

"I was so stupid." I say. "I wasn't thinking." my voice catches as I get to the hardest part of the story, but I manage to keep going. "Melissa pointed that gun at Spencer and I just lost it. I ran at Melissa and I didn't see Noel Swing that axe at me." I pause. "But Spencer did. She threw herself between me and the axe, and it….it hit her. And she….there was so much blood and I tried to help her, but she didn't….I couldn't…I…" I break down and start to sob. My whole body shakes and I bury my face in my hands.

"Toby, it's ok, you don't have to talk anymore." says Emily.

"No. I have to finish." I say, my voice thick with tears. I take a few deep breaths before I start talking again. "After that the A team dragged my away and Wilden turned me in to the police. I let them take me away from Spencer. I shouldn't have given up so easily. I should have know she was still alive. I promised her that I would keep her safe and I let her down."

"It's not your fault Toby. You did everything you could." says Aria. I smile at Aria for trying to make me feel better. Even though I don't believe a word she said.

Jason picks up where I left off. I zone out while he tells everyone about finding Spencer and why he kept her hidden. I already heard the story. I let my mind block out the sound of his voice and the whimpers of those listening, and I think of Spencer. I think of her beautiful smile and her infectious laugh. If I concentrate hard enough, I can hear it softly ringing through the air.

I think of her quick wit and sarcastic comments. I think of the adorable frown that would always form on her face whenever I mentioned beating her at scrabble. I think of the way she looks when she falls asleep in my arms. It's the only time she's ever relaxed. And she would always be embarrassed when she woke up and would start apologizing for letting herself fall asleep on me. She had no idea how much I loved it.

"Why?" asks a bitterly sad voice. There's so much raw emotion in the one worded question, that it jerks me back to reality. I look up to see shivering Mrs. Hastings staring into my eyes. "Why would Melissa do all of this. Why would she try and kill Spencer?" that when I realize that I've left out a very important detail of the story.

"Spencer was getting too close to the truth." I say.

"What truth?" she asks. I take a deep breath and reveal to everyone the secret that that has haunted so many for so long.

"Melissa kill Alison." I say.

* * *

Aria's POV

It's quiet. It's been quiet for well over an hour now. We we're all shocked when we learn the truth. We all had different reactions. There was crying, there was screaming, and there was sadness. No one really knew how to react. I could feel everyone falling into chaos. The only thing that saved us was a doctor that walked into the waiting room.

Everyone instantly went silent, hoping for some news. The doctor told us that Hanna was awake and that family members only could go see her. Mrs. Marin quickly followed the doctor to Hanna's room. After she left we remained quiet. No one seemed to have to energy to speak anymore. Slowly, everyone took a seat and we waited.

I'm starting to feel tired. Everything was starting to sink in and it was taking its toll. I can't wrap my mind around what Spencer had to go through. She must have been terrified. I wish she would have told us what she was planning to do. But I know why she didn't. She was trying to keep us safe. She was always trying to keep everyone else safe, and she always thought of herself last. I wonder what went through her mind when she found out that Melissa killed Ali? After all this time of searching and digging for answers, she finally uncovers the truth, and it's her sister.

I still can't believe it. Melissa is red coat, the entire a team is in jail, and we know for sure who killed Alison. Does this mean that it's over? Is A gone for good? I don't want to get my hopes up just yet, but it sure sounds like it's over. I should feel happy. But I don't. I should feel relieved. But a huge weight is crushing me.

Spencer. Nothing matter if Spencer dies. I could care less if A is gone. If Spencer isn't here, then in the end we lost. We lost and A won.

"Mr. and Mrs. Hastings?" a doctor steps thought the doors and calls for them. We all stand up and look at the doctor.

"We're the Hastings." says Mr. Hastings. I hold my breath and wait for the verdict.

"I'm sorry to have to tell you this." he says. "But I have some bad news."

* * *

**Sorry about the cliffhanger! I hope you liked the chapter. What do you think is going to happen? PLEASE LEAVE A REVIEW!**

**- Rin Shade **


	28. Chapter 28

**Thanks for all the great reviews! **

**And 100 points to KooshGID for getting close to the truth, and you're right, it would be very interesting.**

**I don't own anything. **

* * *

"_Mr. and Mrs. Hastings?" a doctor __steps thought the doors and calls for them. We all stand up and look at the doctor._

"_We're the Hastings." says Mr. Hastings. I hold my breath and wait for the verdict. _

"_I'm sorry to have to tell you this." he says. "But I have some bad news."_

* * *

Toby's POV

_**Flashback **_

"_Grey." says Spencer. We're curled up in the back of my truck watching the sunset. We had driven to a nice quiet spot just outside of Rosewood. We had been here for over an hour, just talking and enjoying each others company. Spencer had gotten cold and was resting against my chest, and I wrapped a blanket around us both. I had just asked her what her favorite color was, and to my surprise she said grey. _

"_Really? You've got to be kidding me." I laugh._

"_What's wrong with grey?" says Spencer. She tries to act all offended, but she can't stop a huge smile from spreading over her face._

"_Everything!" I say. "It's the most boring color in the world. How can it be your favorite color."_

"_I just like the way it looks." she says honestly. "It looks simple and complicated at the same time. There's something powerful about it. I don't know, I can't really explain it."_

"_But it's grey!" I say._

"_Hey! I didn't make fun of you when you told me your favorite color was purple." she says._

"_What's there to make fun of?" I say. "It's a great color."_

"_It's a girly color." she says. "And I never thought someone as manly as you would like such a feminine color."_

"_Well I didn't like it until I met you." I say._

"_And why is that?" she asks. _

"_Because you look amazing in purple." I say. She turns and looks up at me. Her hair flows across my chest and her dark brown eyes sparkle in the dim light cast by the fading sun. Her beauty takes my breath way. She leans forward and kisses me softly, her lips barely brushing against mine._

"_How did I get so lucky?" she whispers._

"_I'm the lucky one." I say._

"_I don't deserve you." she says. _

"_You're right." I say. "You deserve so much better." she frowns at me. Her entire face gets serious._

"_I wish you could see how great you really are." says Spencer. I don't say anything. She looks at me like I'm some sort of superhero. But I'm no hero. I'm so afraid of letting her down. Of having her finally see me for who I really am. Someone who will never be the person she deserves. _

_I can't hold her gaze. I look down and close my eye. _

"_Toby." she says. "Toby look at me." she puts her hand under my chin, and gently forces me to look up at her. "I love you, so much." she says. _

"_I love you too." she kisses me again and then curls back up into my chest. I kiss the top of her head and we fall into an easy silence. _

_**End flashback**_

* * *

The thing about bad news, is that it's never good.

When I was ten, my mom picked me up early from school and took me out for ice cream. I remember sitting on a park bench with her eating a chocolate cone with rainbow sprinkles, thinking that it was the best day ever. Then my mom said something I will never forget.

"_Toby. Sweetie, I have some bad news."_ she told me she was sick. She had cancer. I was ten years old. I didn't understand what having cancer meant. But when I looked at her and saw the fear in her eyes, I knew it was bad.

When I was eleven, I went with my mom and dad to one of her doctor appointments. My dad went into the back with my mom when the doctor called her. They left me by myself in the waiting room. It seemed like they were back there for hours. Other patients came and went, but my parents were no where to be seen. I had I sick feeling in my stomach. I knew something wasn't right. And when my parents finally cam out, my suspicions were confirmed.

My mother and father both had tears in there eyes. My mom came up to me and sat beside me. I asked her why she was crying.

"_The doctor told me some bad news."_ she said. The cancer had spread to her brain. She was going to die. I didn't believe her. Not really. She was my mom. She had always been there for me, and deep down, I thought she would never leave. Even as I watched her getting sicker and more fragile, I didn't think it was possible for her to not be there.

Three months later, my dad picks me up from school. I get into the car, but he doesn't start driving. He doesn't do anything. He just sits there and refuses to look at me. I'm about to ask him what was wrong when he speaks.

"_I got some bad news son."_ my mom died while I was at school. To this day, I flinch whenever someone says they have bad news. So when Spencer's doctor lets the words bad news fall from his mouth, I shatter.

The world around me feels like a bomb waiting to go off and destroy everything. My bones are on fire and my body is being torn apart as I wait for the doctor to reveal the bad news. _Please don't be dead Spencer. I can't live without you._

"Your daughter's injury was very severe." says the doctor. "There was some damage to her spine. The surgeons were more worried about saving her life at the time and overlooked the injury. It was left untreated for to long which caused the injury to become quite extensive. By the time we found the injury we were unable to repair it. Your daughter will live, but she'll never walk again."

Mrs. Hastings breaks down. She falls into her husbands arms and sobs uncontrollably. Mr. Hastings holds on to her and gently tells her everything will be fine, but his eyes have a far away look and I have a feeling he hasn't really processed the news yet. Aria and Emily and holding on to each other and crying. Jason is taking his frustration out on the wall, punching it until his knuckles are bloody.

I stand there frozen. There's so many emotions flooding my body and I don't know how to react to them. Spencer's alive. The news makes me happier than I can describe. But she's paralyzed, and that kills me. Oh god, how will she take the news? She'll hate it! She'll hate feeling helpless. And she'll hate me, because it's all my fault.

If I just protected her like I promised, she would have never gotten hurt. She'd be safe. But I didn't. I broke my promise and Spencer's paying the price. She'll never walk again.

"I'll give you all a moment to process the news." says the doctor. He turns to leave, but Mrs. Hastings reaches out and stops him.

"Wait." she says. "My other daughter. Melissa. Is she ok." the doctor looks confused.

"Ma'am, I just told you the condition of your daughter." he says. "Melissa Hastings is paralyzed from the waist down."

"What?" I say. "You were talking about Melissa the entire time?" my hands turn into fists and I shake with anger. I could punch this idiot for making such a stupid mistake.

"Yes, I was talking about Melissa Hastings." says the doctor.

"Well then what happened to Spencer?" says Mr. Hastings. "Where's are other daughter?"

"You have another daughter here as well?" asks the doctor.

"Yes you idiot!" yells Mr. Hastings. "Where is she? Where's my little girl?" the doctor takes a step back from Spencer's dad.

"Calm down sir." says the doctor.

"Calm down?" yells Mr. Hastings. "How can I calm down when you don't even know that my baby is in the hospital, let alone what her condition is."

"I didn't know about your other daughter because I'm not her doctor." he says. "But I'll personally go and find out how she's doing and I'll come straight back here." Mr. Hastings seems to calm down when he hears this.

"Okay." says Mr. Hastings. "Just please hurry." the doctor nods his head and leaves.

I feel like I'm going to pass out. I went form not knowing if Spencer was okay, to thinking she would spend the rest of her life in a wheelchair, and then back to not knowing how she is, all in the span of a few minutes.

"You ok?" asks Jason. I turn around and see him standing there. I can tell he has been crying.

"No." I say.

"Me either." he says. "I almost killed that doctor."

"Me too." I say. Jason's eyes dart to the door behind me. I turn around to see that the doctor has returned. His face is drained of all color. It's not a good sign. He clears his throat to get everyone's attention.

"Her doctors did everything that they could." he says. "But her injuries where just too severe. I'm sorry, but your daughter, Spencer, died during surgery."

* * *

**Please don't hate me. And please continue to read. I promise that you will like the rest of the story. LEAVE A REIVEW, and tell me what you think will happen next.**

**- Rin Shade **


	29. Chapter 29

**Thanks for all the reviews. I'm glad you guys liked it. **

**I jump around a lot with the POV'S in this chapter. I hope that it isn't confusing. Oh, and 50 points to who ever can pick out the line from the show. I don't own anything.**

* * *

_Jason's eyes dart to the door behind me. I turn around to see that the doctor has returned. His face is drained of all color. It's not a good sign. He clears his throat to get everyone's attention. _

"_Her doctors did everything that they could." he says. "But her injuries where just too severe. I'm sorry, but your daughter, Spencer, died during surgery."_

* * *

Aria's POV

Pain rips through my chest. My knees buckle and I fall to the floor. A strangled scream trudges out of my throat, releasing the sorrow that has invaded every inch of my body.

No. Spencer can't be dead. She just can't. We just got her back. She already survived the imposable. She went up against the A team and won, she saved us and all the people we care about. She doesn't deserve to die, not after she sacrificed so much.

I feel someone kneel down next to me and wrap there arms around my shoulders. It's Emily. I look up at her. She has tears streaming down her face, but she doesn't make a sound and she has a dazed look in her eyes. I hug her back, but she still doesn't look at me. Instead, she focuses her gaze ahead of her. I turn my head to see what she's looking at.

I had forgotten that there was other people in the room, but I don't know how. Everyone's cries are just as loud as mine. Spencer's parents are a mess. Her dad is sobbing into his hands, while her mom is crying on his shoulder. Jason is pacing back and forth, mumbling to himself and angrily wiping away any tears that fall from his eyes.

My eyes finally land on the person that has captured Emily's attention. Toby. He's not crying, he's not screaming, he's not doing anything. He's just standing there, his arms limp at his sides and his head bent down to his chest. His eyes have no life in them and are fixated on the ground in front of him.

"Toby?" says Emily. Her voice is raw from crying, but her deep concern for him is still detectable in her tone. "Toby." she says again. He slowly turns his head and looks at her. The expression on his face makes me flinch. I've never seen so much pain, so much hurt, in just one person. His gaze is completely void of hope. He's empty. Almost like he has died along with Spencer.

He suddenly look away from Emily and starts walking.

"Toby!" calls Emily. He ignores her. No, he's not ignoring her, he doesn't even hear her. He keeps walking and heads straight out the door of the waiting room.

"Toby! Wait." calls Emily. I can tell that she's scared for him, and I don't blame her. The haunted look he wore sent shivers down my spine. She starts to get up off the floor to go after him, but she hesitates. She glances down at me. I can see a battle raging in her. On the one hand, she doesn't want to leave me, and on the other, she wants to be there for Toby.

"Go." I tell her.

"I can't just leave you." she says.

"It's okay." I say. "Toby needs you."

"But…" she starts to protest, but Jason interrupts her.

"Go after him Emily." says Jason. "I'll stay with Aria." she pauses for a moment, then she give me a quick hug and runs to find Toby.

"Come on." says Jason. "Lets get you off of the floor." he bends down and all but picks me up from the floor. He leads me to a chair and we sit down. I cry silently for a few minuets, but it's not long before I can no longer keep my grief to myself.

"I can't believe this." I cry. "This isn't right."

"No. It isn't right." says Jason. He calmly rubs my back, attempting to comfort me. "But I'm going to make it better." there's an eeriness to his voice.

"How can you possibly make any of this better." I say.

"Justice." he says. I look at him. I didn't notice before, but there's a crazed look in his eyes. It makes me nerves.

"What do you mean Jason?" I ask. A bitter smile appears on his face. He stands up and gazes at me.

"I know I told Emily I would stay with you, but there's something I have to do." says Jason. "Will you be okay by yourself?"

"Where are you going?" I ask. He doesn't answer me. Instead he just gives me that grim smile and then turns to leave. He takes a few steps then stops. Without turning back around he starts to speak.

"I always had feelings for you Aria. I think we could have been great together." he says. I'm speechless. I wasn't expecting him to say that. "Good bye Aria." he whispers, then walks off.

I jump up and follow him before my mind can even process what I'm doing. I follow him out of the waiting room and down the hallway. I have I feeling that something bad will happen if I don't catch up to him. I quicken my pace and jog up behind him. I reach out and grab his shirt and he turns to face me.

"Jason, what's going on. What are you doing?" I ask desperately.

"I'm doing what needs to be done." say Jason. "What I should have done a long time ago." he starts to walk off again, but I jump in front of him and block his path.

"What needs to be done Jason? Please, tell me what you plan to do." I say. His face turns cold and he looks down at me.

"I'm going to kill Melissa." he says.

* * *

Emily's POV

I've lost him. I thought Toby was right ahead of me, but I don't see him anymore. I race pass dozens of hospital rooms and down hallway after hallway. My heart starts to pound and tears spill down my face. I feel like I'm possessed with the need to find him.

It was the look in his eyes. It caused a terrible feeling to settle in the bottom of my stomach. He just looked so lost. Like he had crossed over to a place he can never come back from. I can feel him slipping through my fingers. I know that if I don't find him soon, he'll be gone for good. And I can't handle losing anyone else.

I turn down another hallway, but he's still nowhere in sight. Maybe I should go back. Maybe I accidentally ran by him. I'm starting to panic. I can't lose him. Not today. Not ever. Not again.

"Excuse me miss?" I spin around and come face to face with a kind looking older nurse. "Are you ok?" she asks.

"I….no. I'm not." I say. "I can't find my friend. I can't find him anywhere."

"Well maybe I can help you." she says. "What does your friend look like?" she asks. I try to calm myself down so I can answer her question.

"Um, he's tall. He has a cast on his leg. He has brown hair and bright blue eyes." I say.

"Oh yeah!" she says. "I saw pretty eyes just a minuet ago."

"You did! Where did he go?" I ask.

"He walked by me and went through that door leading to the stairs." she says.

"Do you know if he went up or down?" I ask.

"Up." she says. "I normally wouldn't remember, but I couldn't take my eyes off him. He just looked so sad."

"Thank you." I say, and I rush off before I hear her response.

I bust through the door and into the stairwell. I run up the stairs as fast as I can, taking them two at a time. I come to a door and I try to open it, but it's locked. I leave the door and head to the next floor. I try the next door, but it's locked too. I turn to go up to the next floor, but I stop when I see a sign. **NEXT LEVEL ROOF.**

A feeling of dread washes over me. Toby's on the roof. I can only think of one reason why he would be up there. But he wouldn't do that. Would he?

That look on his face flashes into my mind. It was like he was already dead. That one look told me everything I need to know. This whole time I was trying to find him, I knew. Deep down I knew what he was going to do. He's going to jump.

I race up the stairs as fast as I can. Praying that it's fast enough, that it's not to late.

* * *

Aria's POV

I'm so shocked by what Jason just told me that I let him slip right by me. It takes me a second to realize that he's not standing in front of me anymore.

I turn and see him taking to a nurse. He smiles brightly at her when she points to something down the hall. He says thank you and takes off again. I chase after him, but he's much faster than I am. He walks with determination and he quickly checks the room numbers as he passes them. He finally stops in front of one. It must be Melissa's room.

As much as I wish Melissa was dead, I can't let him kill her. I can't let him ruin his life like this. He's about to open the door when I reach him. I latch on to his arm and rip his hand from the door.

"Let go." he growls.

"No Jason. I can't let you do this." I yell.

"I have to." he says.

"No you don't." I say. "It doesn't have to be this way."

"What other way can there be Aria? She murdered both of my sisters! Did you think I was just going to sit back and do nothing. This is the only way it can end." he screams.

"Melissa is your sister too." I say.

"She's not my sister." he says. "She's a monster."

"If you kill her, you'll be no better than her." I say.

"Don't you hate her for what she did to Alison, to Spencer, to all of you?" he asks.

"Of course I do!" I say.

"Then why the hell are you trying to protect her?" yells Jason.

"I'm not protecting her, I'm protecting you!" I say. "Don't you know that if you do this you'll go to prison for the rest of your life?"

"I don't care!" he says. He tries to move me out of his way, but I fight against him.

"This isn't what Spencer would have wanted!" I yell. He pauses for a moment, and I think he might be coming to his senses. But then his face gets dark and he glares at me.

"It doesn't matter what Spencer wants." he whispers. "She's dead." he pushes me out of his way and I fall to the ground. He opens the door and walks in. I scramble to my feet and race in after him. I slam right into his back and almost fall down again.

He doesn't seem to notice my presence there. He stands frozen with wide eyes.

"Shit." he mumbles.

"Jason. What is it?" I ask. But he doesn't respond. I forces my way around him so I can see what he's looking at. I gasp at the sight of the broken figure lying in the hospital bed.

* * *

Toby's POV

I never believed in hell. But I realize now that it exists. Because hell is living in a world where you're dead Spencer. And I've gone to hell.

The sun is setting, and the remnants of its light shines brightly on my face. I wasn't sure why I ended up on the roof until I saw the sun setting. It reminds me of you. I can see your long brown hair shining, and your warm smile reaching your eyes, causing them to sparkle. It makes me realize why I came here.

You'd be so angry at me for what I'm about to do. You'd hate me for being so weak. But I can't continue without you. Because you were my strength, my happiness, my everything. Without you I'm nothing. I'm already dead.

I step on to the ledge of the hospital roof. The wind whips around me. I look down to the ground. It's a long fall, but it doesn't scare me. I deserve to die like this. I wasn't there for you like I should have been.

I look at the sun one last time. You loved sunsets. Why did you love them so much Spencer? I never asked you. I should have. Of course, I should have done a lot of things. I should have saved you. I'm sorry Spencer. For everything.

I relax my body and let gravity drag me from the ledge.

* * *

**I really hope all of you enjoyed this! Tell me what you think is going to happen. And don't forget, 50 points to anyone that finds the line from the show. PLEASE REVIEW. **

-**Rin Shade **


	30. Chapter 30

**Sorry for the wait. Like i said in my story _Consumed_, i was having some technical difficulties.**

**50 points to **Emilyjayden101, AZillionLittleStars, GoddessArtemis1999, **and Guest for finding the line from the show. Thanks for all the reviews. I hope that you guys enjoy the chapter. I don't own anything.**

* * *

_I step on to the ledge of the hospital roof. The wind whips around me. I look down to the ground. It's a long fall, but it doesn't scare me. I deserve to die like this. I wasn't there for you like I should have been. _

_I look at the sun one last time. You loved sunsets. Why did you love them so much Spencer? I never asked you. I should have. Of course, I should have done a lot of things. I should have saved you. I'm sorry Spencer. For everything._

_I relax my body and let gravity drag me from the ledge._

* * *

Toby's POV

My feet are standing on nothing but air, and I'm immediately pulled towards the earth. But something suddenly wraps around my neck. I instantly stop falling, my body jerks violently, and my back slams into the building. Whatever is around my throat tightens and cuts off my air supply. I struggle to breathe and my hands instinctively reach up to my neck and try to rip away whatever's choking me.

My fingers dig into soft skin, and I realize that it's a person. They have their arms wrapped tightly around my neck. They must have caught me at the last second, before I could fall to my death, before I could receive the punishment I deserve. I can't stand to be alive, not for another second. Not without Spencer. I try desperately to pry their arms away.

"Stop it you idiot! I'm trying to help you." says a voice that's all to familiar. It's Mona. I glance up and see her small figure straining to hold me up.

"Let go." I growl. I continue trying to pull her arms off of me, but the more I pull, the tighter her grip gets.

"I can't." she says. Her voice shakes from fighting to hold me up.

"Why the fuck not? Why do you even care?" I wheeze. Black spots dance in my vision. The lack of oxygen is getting to me.

"Like I said, you're a nice guy. You don't deserve this." says Mona. All of the sudden, her knees buckle. Her grip on me loosens slightly, and I start to fall. She manages to tighten her grip again, but she starts to go over with me.

"Toby! Please. You have to pull yourself up." she says. "I can't hold on much longer. You're going to kill us both."

"So." I say. "You deserve to die just as much as I do."

"But…" she tries to speak, but I stop her.

"Don't argue with me! You know it's true." I say.

"So you're just going to abandon Spencer right when she needs you the most!" yells Mona. Something inside of me snaps. I felt so defeated when I came up to the roof. I was filled with so much guilt and sorrow and there was no room for anything else.

But something about what Mona just said makes me crack. Memories start flooding into my mind. I think of all the terrible things Mona did to Spencer, and how she loved doing it. I think of her hunting Spencer down like an animal. And I think of how she was there, helping Melissa murder Spencer.

My sorrow and guilt are ripped away and replaced with blinding rage. I quickly find myself grabbing onto the ledge, and hauling myself up onto the roof of the hospital. Mona is surprised by my sudden action, and barely manages to get out of my way as I tumble onto the roof.

"What changed your mind?" asks Mona. I slowly stand up and face her.

"My mind isn't changed." I whisper. "I just remembered that I had a few things to take care of before I die." I race towards her and grab her by the throat.

"What are you doing?" she yells. I pick her up by her neck and I bring her leave with my gaze.

"I'm going to kill everyone responsible for Spencer's death so I can end my miserable life in peace." I scream. "And I'm going to start with you." I swing her to my right and dangle her off the hospital roof. Her eyes go wide and she starts clawing at my arms.

"No. Toby…you can't." she says as she struggles to breathe. "She's….alive. Spencer's alive."

"NO SHE'S NOT!" I scream. "She's dead! You killed her!"

"No. I just….just saw her. I was ….in….her room." she gasps.

"You're lying!" I yell. "The doctor said she died. Why should I believe you over a doctor?"

"Because…you can tell when….I'm lying." she says. "You're the only one….who can." I swing her away from the ledge and bring her close to me. I stare at her face. I see nothing but honesty.

I throw her down and she lands hard at my feet. She starts coughing and gasping for air.

"What makes you think that she's alive?" I ask. She coughs a few more times before answering me in a hoarse voice.

"She _is _alive. I just saw her before I followed you up here." she says. "She's in bad shape, but she's alive."

"The doctor said she died." I say. Mona shakes her head

"He's wrong. There was a lot of confusion when Spencer was brought in here. They got her chart mixed up with Melissa's." she says.

"How the hell do you know that?" I ask. She smiles.

"I still have my ways." she says. I glare at her.

"I've already gotten my hopes up once today." I whisper. "I'm not doing it again."

"Room 412." she says. "You'll find your hope there." I'm about to continue questioning her when I hear someone call my name.

"Toby!" screams Emily.

"Emily?" I say. I don't see her. I take a few steps away from Mona. That's when I see her. She spots me too, and starts running towards me. She crashes into me and bursts into sobs.

"Toby. I was so worried." she cries. "I was looking everywhere for you and I couldn't find you."

"I'm sorry Em. I'm sorry." I whisper as I hug her close to me.

"What were you doing? Why did you come up here." she asks. I remain silent. I can tell she already knows what I had planned.

"How could you even think of doing that? I already lost Spencer, I can't lose you too. You can't leave me Toby. Please, I need you." she cries.

"I'm right here Emily. I won't leave you." I say. She nods her head and hugs me tighter. My mind drifts back to what Mona said. I'm not hoping for anything, but I have to see if what she said was true. I pull away from Emily and look at her.

"There's something I have to do." I tell her. "Will you come with me?"

"Of course." she says. "What do you need to do?" I don't want to tell her. It will break her heart all over again if it's a lie.

"You'll see." I say. "But first we have to figure out what to do with her."

"Who?" asks Emily. I turn to look back at Mona, but she's gone. I guess I shouldn't be surprised.

"Never mind." I say. "Lets go." I wrap my arm around Emily and we walk back to the staircase.

* * *

Emily and I slowly make are way down the halls of the hospital. I keep my eye out for room 412, but it doesn't end up being to hard to find. Emily and I turn down a hall and see Mr. and Mrs. Hastings yelling at a doctor, right outside of room 412. Aria and Jason are there too.

Aria sees us and runs up to us.

"Spencer's alive!" she says. There's tears streaming down her face.

"What!" yells Emily.

"She's alive." says Aria. "Melissa is the one that's dead."

"She's really alive?" I ask. "You saw her?"

"Yes, she's really alive." says Aria.

"How did they make that kind of mistake?" asks Emily.

"That's what Spencer's parents are trying to find out." says Aria. I step around Aria and start walking to Spencer's room.

"Toby?" calls Emily.

"Let him go." says Aria. I walk up behind Spencer's parents. They're to busy yelling at the doctor to notice me. I silently slip into the room.

* * *

Tears pour from my eyes as soon as I see her. She looks so fragile. She's covered in bruises and there's several machines working at keeping her alive. The needles stabbing into her pale arm sluggishly pump in medicine. An oxygen mask covers her face and her body shakes as she slowly breathes in and out. But despite all of that, she's the most beautiful sight I have ever seen. I thought I was never going to see her again. But Mona was right. I found my hope here.

I walk over to her and sit down beside her. I gently take her hand in mine. I lean down and kiss her slender fingers. A few of my tears drop down on her hand, and I have to wipe them away.

"I'm so sorry Spencer." I whisper. "This is all my fault. I should have never let them touch you. You should be safe and sound instead of here in there hospital. I'm sorry I broke my promise. But I'm going to spend the rest of our lives making it up to you. I love you Spencer." her fingers move and wrap around mine. I look up at her face.

Her eyes are open and I can see her smiling beneath the mask.

* * *

**Did you guys like the chapter? Was anybody surprised that Mona saved Toby? PLEASE LEAVE A REVIEW, and tell me what you think.**

**-Rin Shade **


	31. Chapter 31

**You guys are amazing! I can't believe I got over 200 reviews. Thank you all for reading my story. You always leave me the best comments. I hope you like this chapter. I don't own anything.**

* * *

"_I'm so sorry Spencer." I whisper. "This is all my fault. I should have never let them touch you. You should be safe and sound instead of here in the hospital. I'm sorry I broke my promise. But I'm going to spend the rest of our lives making it up to you. I love you Spencer." her fingers move and wrap around mine. I look up at her face._

_Her eyes are open and I can see her smiling beneath the mask._

* * *

Spencer's POV

I'm dead. I'm almost positive that I'm dead. I remember Aria screaming my name, begging me not to die. And then everything went black, and I was wrapped in silence. I couldn't speak, I couldn't feel. There was nothing ahead of me or behind me. It was like I was drifting in an endless sea.

I wouldn't have been so afraid to die if I knew it would be like this. I don't feel pain here. I don't have any worries. It's a nice change after everything I've been through. I don't have to worry about problems, because I don't have any. At least not anymore. No one can hurt me here. I feel safe. Free.

Free. That word reminds me something important. No. someone important. But who? I can't remember. _Free at last._ I can see the words. They look like a tattoo. I remember now. I can see his face. His sad, but gorgeous, blue eyes. His soft brown hair, and his smile. That beautiful smile.

Toby. How could I forget Toby. My Toby. The love of my life. He did so much for me. He loves me. And I left him. I died. I'll never be able to tell him how much he means to me. I can never tell him thank you for everything he sacrificed for me. I can never see him again.

I start to panic. This can't be it. I can't just leave him. I have to see him again. I have to fight for him like he fought for me. I have to live.

Pain suddenly stabs through my body. It makes me want to shrink back into the darkness, but I stand my ground. I reach out towards the pain. I can feel it. But just barely. I fight harder. I push against the darkness. I'm exhausted. My body pleads for me to just give up, but I can't. I won't give up. The need to see Toby again drives me forward.

It feels like days go by, but I don't rest. I keep fighting the darkness. And slowly, I start to feel again. I can feel myself breathing. I can feel the scratchy sheets beneath me. I can hear the rhythmic beeping of a machine, and once in a while I can hear the muffled sound of people talking. And then something amazing happens.

I feel someone grab my hand. Rough fingers gently wrap around my hand. I smile when I recognize the hand. Toby. It takes a lot of effort, but I manage to open my eyes. I watch him as he softly kisses my hand.

"I'm so sorry Spencer." he whispers. "This is all my fault. I should have never let them touch you. You should be safe and sound instead of here in the hospital. I'm sorry I broke my promise. But I'm going to spend the rest of our lives making it up to you. I love you Spencer."

I want to tell him it's not his fault. I want to tell him that he's wonderful, and that I love him. But my mouth can't form the words. Instead I squeeze his hand and hope that he understands how much he means to me. He looks up at me and smiles. It's the most beautiful thing I've ever seen. Seeing it was worth all the fighting, the struggling, and the pain.

I close my eyes. I did it. We did it. We made it. I can rest now. I know nothing bad will happen as long as Toby is by my side. We'll be fine as long as we're together.

* * *

Toby's POV

Spencer drifts in and out of consciousness for the next few days. She never stays awake long enough to say anything. It makes me worried, but the doctor says that it's normal. He says that she's just healing. They don't know when she'll completely wake up, but I want to be there when she does. So I don't leave her side.

Everyone tells me I should go home and get some rest, but I don't listen to them. I can't leave her. I need to make sure she stays safe. After a while they stop telling me to leave. Instead they start being me things.

Emily goes my loft and gets me a change of clothes. Aria and Jason bring me food. And they all take turns sitting with me and Spencer. Aria and Jason talk about simple things, thing that didn't really matter. Anything that might lighten the mood. Hanna even sits with me a few times. She's not supposed to move around a lot because of her foot, but she couldn't stay away. Aria and Emily told her everything she missed, but she still had a few questions for me. She was shocked to discover that Melissa was the one who killed Ali.

Spencer's parents sit with me too. Mrs. Hastings doesn't talk much. She'll tell me thank you for helping Spencer, and for staying with her when she can't, but mostly she'll just hold Spencer's hand and tell her how much she loves her. Mr. Hastings is the opposite. He talks a lot.

He has never liked me, but it seem like he respects me now. He'll sit with Spencer and me and tell me the latest news. He tells me about the case against the A team. He told me that Wilden claimed he had evidence linking the girls and their parents to several different crimes. But when the police went to his apartment to get it, it wasn't there. So Spencer and the girls are in the clear. I cant help but think that Mona had something to do with it.

She's the only member of the A team that hasn't been arrested. She's wanted for the murder of Melissa Hastings, but the cops can't find her anywhere. I doubt they ever will. Spencer's dad also talks to me about Melissa. They had her funeral the other day. They wanted to have it before Spencer woke up. I can tell Spencer's parents are having a hard time with Melissa's death. She tried to kill Spencer, but they still loved her.

"Spencer is a strong girl." says Mr. Hastings. "But it's still going to be hard for her." he and I are sitting next to Spencer's bed. Spencer's been in the hospital for five days now, and she still hasn't woken up for more then a few seconds. Mr. Hastings came in about an hour ago and started talking about the subject that everyone has been avoiding.

"How do you think she'll take the news?" he asks.

"I'm not sure." I say.

"How do you tell you're daughter she's never going to walk again? She's already been through hell. She should have to deal with this." he says.

"No. she shouldn't." I say. "But she'll do what she always does, and conquer the problem."

"I know. I just wish she didn't have too." he says.

"Me too." I whisper. He stands up from his chair and picks up his coat.

"I better go." he says.

"Yeah. I'll see you tomorrow Mr. Hastings." I say.

"Goodnight Toby." he says than leaves the room. I glance at the clock. It's close to midnight. I stand up and kiss Spencer on the forehead.

"Good night Spencer." I say. I sit back down and close my eyes. I think about the future. I think about how Spencer's life will change. I wonder how she'll deal with being in a wheelchair. It breaks my heart.

* * *

Spencer's POV

I feel the warm sun on my skin. I open my eyes. The morning sun is spilling into my hospital room. I smile. I honestly thought I would never see another sunrise. I here someone breathing and I look beside me. It's Toby. He's sleeping in a chair. His head is bent back in an awkward position and he's snoring softly. I feel guilty. He should be home sleeping in his bed, but because of me he's sleeping in a small chair. I glance down and see that there's a cast on his leg. I instantly remember the car crash, and it makes my stomach flip.

"Toby." I say. My voice is hoarse and my throat is raw from lack of use. "Toby, wake up." he stirs slightly and opens his eyes. He jumps out of his chair when he sees that I'm awake.

"Spencer!" he says. "You're awake. How are you feeling?"

"I'm fine." I say.

"It's so good to hear your voice. I was so worried." he says. He starts to cry.

"I love you so much." I say.

"I love you too Spencer. I'm so sorry I didn't keep you safe." he says.

"You don't have anything to be sorry for." I say. "You saved me."

"No I didn't." he says. "I thought you were dead. I let them take me away from you. I left you."

"You didn't leave me Toby. You did everything you could for me and more." I say. "And you did save me. Just the thought of seeing you again gave me the strength I needed to survive." he leans down and kisses me gently on my lips.

"You're amazing." he says. I smile and close my eyes for a second. I feel so tired.

"Are you okay? Are you in any pain?" asks Toby.

"No, I'm fine. Just tired." I say.

"You should rest. And I should tell the doctor that you're awake." says Toby.

"No, I can't rest yet." I say. "You need to tell me everything. Tell me what happened after I lost consciousness. Is everyone okay? How long have I been in the hospital?"

"Easy Spencer." says Toby. "I'll tell you everything, but the doctor said I should get him when you wake up. So I'll get the doctor first, then we can talk."

"Okay. You're right." I say.

"I'll be right back." he says and kiss me again. He starts to walk away, but then I notice that something isn't right.

"Toby wait." I say. "Something's wrong."

"What is it?" he asks. His eyes are full of concern.

"I….I can't feel my legs." I say.

* * *

**I hope you guys liked the chapter! PLEASE LEAVE A REVIEW. Tell me how you think Spencer will react when the doctor tells her she will never walk again.**

**-Rin Shade **


	32. Chapter 32

**Thank you so much for all the reviews! For some reason this chapter was really difficult for me to write. I hope you all enjoy it. There's a VERY important authors note at the end of this chapter. Please read it. I don't own anything.**

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"_I'll be right back." he says and kiss me again. He starts to walk away, but then I notice that something isn't right. _

"_Toby wait." I say. "Something's wrong."_

"_What is it?" he asks. His eyes are full of concern._

"_I….I can't feel my legs." I say._

* * *

Spencer's POV

I don't need the doctor to tell me that it's bad. I don't need a detailed diagnosis. The look on Toby's face answers my questions. I've never seen him look so dejected, so lost, so guilty. His eyes fill with tears. He opens his mouth to speak, but he says nothing. He knows exactly what's wrong with me. He just can't bring himself to say it out loud. And I don't want him to. I can't bear to hear him confirm to me what I already know.

"Spencer." he says. He sounds heartbroken. Oh god, this can't be happening, this can't be real. "Your injuries were…" I can't let him say it. I don't want him to be the one to tell.

"Maybe you should get the doctor." I tell him before he can say anymore. He stares at me for a moment, then nods his head.

"Alright." he say. He walks up to me kisses the top of my head. "Everything will be okay Spencer."

"I know." I whisper, even though I don't really believe it.

"I'll be right back." he says, then he leaves the room in search of the doctor. I should be happy. Toby and I went through hell together and made it out alive. But the numbness in my legs takes away any victorious feelings I should have. I shut my eyes as tight as I can. I don't want to cry or start panicking. I want to be strong for Toby. I saw how crushed he looked. I don't want to hurt him anymore than I have by breaking down when he comes back in with the doctor. I want to make him happy. That's the least I can do for him. He's done so much for me, and now it's my turn. Besides, maybe I'm just over reacting. Maybe the news won't be as bad as I think it will be.

"Spencer." says Toby. I open my eyes. Toby is standing next to me and a middle aged man in scrubs is with him.

"Hello Ms. Hastings. I'm Dr. Kenneth." says the man. "How are you doing?"

"You tell me." I say. My voice is raw and shaky.

"I assume you already know that something is wrong with your legs." he says. I nod my head. He sighs and sits down in chair beside my bed. Toby grabs my hand and smiles grimly at me.

"Ms. Hastings." the doctor says. "The injury to your abdomen was very severe. The surgeons that operated on you were so focused on saving your life, that they missed a deeper injury."

"A deeper injury?" I ask.

"Yes." he says. "The object that cut into your abdomen also hit your spine. By the time we noticed the injury to you spinal cord, it was to late."

"Too late for what?" I ask.

"Too late to repair it." he says. "I'm sorry Ms. Hastings, but you're paralyzed from the waist down." I few tears roll down my face. I just can't help it. I already knew I was paralyzed. I could feel it. But having him say it out loud make it all to real.

"It can't be fixed." I say.

"I'm sorry, but trying to repair the damage would be a huge risk to your life. And it has an eighty-seven percent chance of making your paralysis worse." I nod my head and look down at the floor. "I'll leave and give you some time to think." and with that the doctor leaves.

"Spencer. Spencer look at me." says Toby. I slowly lift my head and look at him. He looks so tired. There's dark circles under his eyes. He's been through so much. He must feel awful. He never takes good care of himself. He always puts himself last. I smile at him. And to my surprise, it's a genuine smile. I guess it's hard not to smile when I look at him.

"Tell me everything." I whisper.

"What?" he asks.

"You said that you would tell me what happened after you got the doctor. So go ahead and tell me everything that happened after I got here." I say.

"Spencer. I think we need to talk about what…" he starts to talk, but I interrupt him.

"No." I say. "I just…I can't. Not yet."

"We'll have to talk about it sooner or later." he says.

"I know. Just not right know." I say.

"Okay." he says. He sits down on the edge of my bed. "Are you sure you want to know everything?"

"Yes." I say.

* * *

It takes more than an hour for Toby to tell me all the details, but I'm grateful for the distraction. I'm surprised when he tells me that he told my parents _everything _about A. I'm relieved when he tells me that the A team (minus Mona) is in jail, and my friends and I are in the clear. And I cry when he tells me that Melissa is dead. I know I shouldn't be sad, but she was my sister. No matter what she did, I never wanted her to die.

Toby ends the story by telling me about the mix up with the charts. He tells me that Jason and Aria were the ones to discover the mistake. I can tell that there's something he's not telling me, but I decide to let it go for now. Right now I'm just enjoying being with him. He's lying next me, and my head is resting on his chest. I don't want the moment to end.

"How are you feeling?" he asks. "Do you need anything?"

"Yes, actually. There is one thing I need." I say.

"What is it?" he asks.

"I need you to go home and get some rest." I say. I can tell he's exhausted. He needs a good nights rest in his own bed.

"No. I'm not leaving you. I can't." he says.

"Toby, you've been here for days. You need a break." I say.

"I can't leave you _now_. You've been through so much today." he says.

"Would you please think about yourself for once." I say. He moves so I can see his face. It's so full of pain.

"I'm afraid." he says. "I'm afraid to let you out of my sight. I can't shake the feeling that if I look away for one second I'll lose you forever. And I can't lose you." I brush my hand over his face.

"You're not going to lose me." I whisper. "I'm not going anywhere." I kiss him softly on his lips.

"I still don't want to leave you alone." he says.

"My parents will be here in a few hours." I say.

"But what will you do until then?" he asks.

"The girls will come and sit with me." I say. "Please Toby. Please go get some rest. Just for a few hours. Do it for me."

"Fine." he says. "But only for a couple of hours."

"Thank you." I say.

"I'll call the girls and tell them to come over on my way out." he says.

"Okay" I say.

"I love you Spencer. I'll see you soon." he says.

"I love you too." he smiles at me and then leaves the room. That's when I let go. I release all the hurt, the anger, the sadness, and the loss. I should feel grateful. Toby and I are alive, my friends are alive, and A is gone for good. Everyone I care about is safe. I got everything I wanted. And yet, I feel like my life has been taken from me.

* * *

Toby's POV

I leave Spencer's hospital room and shut the door behind me, but I don't leave. I stand there for a moment. I really don't want to leave her. Maybe I should stay, at least until the girls get here. I'm about to go back into the her room when I hear her.

I can hear Spencer's soft cries through the door. The sound of her sobbing tears me to pieces. I want to rush back into the room and comfort her, but then I realize that she waited until I left to cry. She must not really want me here. She was holding back how she really felt. I'm such an idiot. I should have known.

I should have seen her true feelings. I know Spencer. Of course she's crushed. She just found out that she will never walk again. Something like this is Spencer's worst nightmare. To not have control over her own body. I wish she would have let me in, and let me know how she was really feeling. Maybe she blames me. It is my fault after all. I should have been there for her.

I lean my head against the door and listen to her cry. I take out my phone and send a quick text to Emily. Spencer might not want to be around me, but she need someone. Emily texts me back and says that she and the other girls are on their way. I put my phone back in my pocket and I continue to press my ear up to her door. I listen to Spencer cry while I wait for her friends to arrive. I wish I could take her place, because hearing the love of my life cry like this is the worse torture imaginable.

* * *

**I really hope you liked this chapter. This story is close to it's end, and I want your opinion on how to end it. I'm either going to end it with an epilogue that jumps to a few years into future and write about where Spencer and Toby end up. OR I might write a sequel to this. It will go into detail about Spencer's recover and how she handles life in a wheelchair. No matter what I pick, the story will end the same. PLEASE LEAVE A REVIEW, and tell me if you want the Epilogue or the Sequel. And don't forget to review the chapter as well.**

**- Rin Shade **


	33. Chapter 33

**Hey everyone! Thanks for all the feedback. After reading all the reviews I've decided to go with the epilogue instead of the sequel. Some of you brought out a lot of good points as to why I should go with the epilogue, and I agree with you. I hope you all enjoy this chapter, it's the last one before the epilogue.**

* * *

_I lean my head against the door and listen to her cry. I take out my phone and send a quick text to Emily. Spencer might not want to be around me, but she need someone. Emily texts me back and says that she and the other girls are on their way. I put my phone back in my pocket and I continue to press my ear up to her door. I listen to Spencer cry while I wait for her friends to arrive. I wish I could take her place, because hearing the love of my life cry like this is the worse torture imaginable. _

* * *

Emily's POV

I walk into the hospital with Aria and Hanna trailing close behind. I was excited to see Spencer. It was such a relief know that she was finally awake.

"Slow down Emily." says Hanna. I stop and turn around. Hanna is several feet behind me and struggling with her crutches. Aria is patiently walking beside. I instantly feel bad for leaving them behind.

"Sorry Hanna." I say as I walk back to her. "I'm just anxious to see Spencer."

"I know. But it isn't easy to walk with only one foot." she says.

"It would've been easier if you hadn't insisted on wearing a two inch heal on your good foot." says Aria.

"It was the shortest heal I had." says Hanna. I look at Aria and we both start laughing. The three of us slowly make our way to Spencer's room. I spot Toby standing by her door when we round the corner.

"Toby." I call to him and a big smile spreads over my face. But when he turns around and faces me, my smile quickly fades. His eyes are red and brimming with tears. His face is full of heartbreaking sadness, and his body is hunched over like he's in pain. "Toby what's wrong?" I ask. He looks at me for a second then leans his head against Spencer's door.

"She blames me for what happened." he whispers.

"What are you talking about?" I ask.

"Spencer. She doesn't want me around because she blames me for what happened to her." he says. "And she should. It's my fault she'll never walk again." I hear Hanna and Aria walk up behind me, but they stay a few steps back. They know that Toby and I are close, and they don't want to intrude on our conversation.

"Toby, what happened to Spencer is _not_ your fault, and Spencer would never blame you." I say. "Why would you even think that?"

"It is my fault, and she does blame me." he says. "She wouldn't talk to me about the fact that she will never walk again. She acted like she was fine. Then she basically begged me to leave, and as soon as I did, she started sobbing. She doesn't want me here with her, she doesn't want me to know how she feels, and she doesn't want my help. And it's because she realizes that it's all my fault." I suddenly feel extremely angry. I love Toby, but sometimes he can be such an idiot.

"What is wrong with you?" I say. "You're acting like you don't know Spencer at all. You know that Spencer never puts herself first. She probably sent you away because you've been here for days and you look like death. She probably thought you could use some rest. And yes, she should have talked to you about how she's feeling, but can you blame her for needing a minute alone to think about everything that happened. You know Spencer better than this. Deep down you know she doesn't blame you for any of this, even if you think she should." a few tears roll down his face.

"I don't know what to do Em." he says. "I want to help her, but I don't know how." I wrap my arms around him and hug him tightly.

"I know." I say. "But right now the best thing you can do is to go home and get some rest. You have to take care of yourself before you can take care of Spencer." he nods his head and pulls out of the hug.

"Your right." he says. "I'll be back in a few hours."

"Okay." I say.

"Thank you." he whispers.

"Anytime." I say. I watch him as he walks to the elevators. I turn to the girls. They smile grimly at me.

"Do you think Toby will be ok?" asks Aria.

"Yeah. But it's going to take time." I say. We turn towards Spencer door and open it.

Spencer looks up at the sound of the door opening. Her face is wet with tears. She stares at us for a second and tries to smile, but instead she starts sobbing. The three of us rush to her side. We hold her and cry along with her.

* * *

After what feels like hours, Spencer stops crying. Her breathing becomes calm and she pulls away from us. She wipes her face dry and looks up at us.

"Sorry for getting so emotional." she says. "I was just so happy to see you guys. That combined with everything else…well I just got a little overwhelmed." she says.

"You don't have to apologize for that." I say.

"Yeah. We know how you feel. This whole situation is overwhelming." says Aria. Hanna leans in and hugs Spencer.

"And we're happy to see you too." says Hanna. "We were so worried about you."

"I was worried about you guys too." says Spencer.

"I wish you would have told us what you had planed. We could've helped you." I say.

"I was sick of watching you guys get hurt. I just wanted to keep all of you safe." she says.

"I can't believe you did it." says Aria. "You took down the A team. The nightmare's over."

"Yeah. I guess it is." says Spencer. She looks down at her legs.

"Do you want to talk about it?" I ask.

"Not really." she mumbles. We sit there quietly for a few moments. Non of us are sure of what we should say.

"I feel guilty." says Spencer. I look up at her. "I got everything I wanted. I have Toby, you guys are safe, the A team is in jail, and I'm alive. I should feel grateful for everything that I have. But instead, I feel like I don't have anything."

"You shouldn't feel guilty. You have every right to feel sad after what you've been through, and after what you've lost." I say.

"I can walk. I'll never walk again." she says bitterly. "I don't know how I'm going to live with this. I just can't see myself moving on from this. I can't see the point in even trying when all I'll ever be to anyone is a burden." I can't believe she just said that. I never thought I'd see Spencer want to give up on anything. I turn to Hanna and Aria. They're just as shocked by what Spencer said as I am.

"Would you guys give Spencer and me a minute alone. I need to tell her something." I say.

"Um… sure." says Hanna. They leave and shut the door behind them. I turn to Spencer.

"I wasn't going to tell you this." I say. "I figured it wasn't my business. But I think you need to know."

"What are you talking about?" she asks.

"When the doctors got your chart confused with Melissa's, they told us you were dead. It was the second time someone told us that we lost you. It was a lot to take. And it was too much for Toby." I say. "He ran off after he heard the news. I had a bad feeling, so I followed him. I found him on the roof of the hospital. Spencer. He was going to jump." Spencer's eyes fill with tears.

"No. He….he wouldn't do that." she says.

"Yes. He would." I say. "He would do it because he couldn't picture living without you. You're everything to him."

"What about now?" she asks. "Is he safe? Do you think he'll try it again?"

"No." I say. "He would never leave you."

"I can't believe he would…" she trails off and looks down.

"People do and say crazy things when they lose something important to them." I say.

"Yeah. I guess they do." she says.

"I know you can't stand the thought of not being able to walk, of being helpless. And I know that you think you'll only be a burden now." I say. "But you being here, being alive, is not a burden. It's a miracle and a gift. But you not being here _would_ be a burden. Because not only would we lose you, but we would lose Toby. He needs you just as much as you need him. And I know that your life from now on is going to be a challenge, but I also know that it's going to be wonderful. You might have one reason to want to die, but you have every reason to want to live. So don't you dare say that there's no point in going on. If you even think it again I swear to god I will kill you myself." I'm in tears by the time I finish speaking and so is Spencer.

"Don't you have anything to say?" I ask.

"You're right." she says. "Life is going to be a challenge. And I never back down from a challenge." I stare at her for a second, then laugh. She smiles at me. And even thought it doesn't reach her eyes, it's sincere. I throw my arms around her.

"I love you Spencer. I don't want to lose you." I cry.

"I love you too. I'm so sorry. I can't believe I said that. I can't believe Toby…..god Em, when am I going to stop screwing up." says Spencer.

"Everyone screws up Spencer. It's apart of life." I say. "Just promise me that you'll stick around to screw up again."

"Promise." she says.

"You know you can always talk to me, Hanna, or Aria about anything." I say.

"I know." she says.

"We're going to be with you every step of the way." I say.

"I know that." she says. "And I'm going to need you guys more than ever if I'm going to get through this."

"And Toby too." I say.

"Of course I'll need Toby." she says.

"You know….he blames himself for what happened." I say.

"Yeah. I kept telling him it wasn't his fault, but it was like he couldn't even hear me." she says.

"He also thinks that…that you blame him for what happened to you." I say.

"What?!" she says. "How could he? I would never. Why would he think that?"

"I think that's a question for Toby, not me." I say. "You two are going through a lot right now. You need each other, but you both keep pushing each other away. You have to be honest with him Spencer. I think it's the only way you'll get through this."

"You right Emily." she says. "It's time to stop hiding." she grabs my hand and smiles at me. "Thanks for knocking some sense into me."

"That's what friends are for." I say.

Aria and Hanna came back a little while later. The four of us talked about everything. About what had happened to us, about how we felt, and about the future. We laughed and we cried, and it felt good. It felt like old times. After a while, Spencer's parents came by. Her mom and dad started crying when they saw her, and so did Spencer. Aria, Hanna, and I left soon after that, with the promise of stopping by tomorrow. For the first time in along time, I felt like everything was going to be okay.

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Spencer's POV

"Are you sure you don't want us to stay?" asks my mom. She and my dad gaze at me with concerned filled eyes.

"I'll be fine." I say. "You guys should go home and rest. You have work tomorrow."

"I don't feel comfortable leaving you alone." says my dad. At that moment, there's a knock at the door. Toby walks in a second later. My heart starts to beat faster. I love him so much. And what Emily told has been resting heavily on my mind. I'm eager to talk to him alone.

"Toby will stay with me." I say. "Right Toby?"

"Uh….of course." he says.

"Are you sure you don't mind? You look awfully tired." says my mother.

"I was going to stay the night anyway." he says. "You two should go home and rest."

"Okay." says my dad. "But call us if you need anything at all."

"I will." I say. They kiss my goodbye and leave. Toby takes a seat next to me.

"Did you get some sleep?" I ask.

"Yeah," he says.

"Liar." I say. He laughs.

"Emily told me what happened." I blurt out. "On the roof." his eyes go wide.

"Spencer. I…. I'm sorry." he says.

"It's okay." I say. "Just promise me you won't ever do anything like that again."

"Spencer. I would never leave you." he's says.

"No. don't make it about me." I say. "I don't want your life to depend on mine. I want you to keep living no matter what happens to me."

"That's not fair." he says.

"It is fair." I say. "This world is a brighter place with you in it, and I don't want to be the reason for making the world darker."

"I just can't see myself living without you." he says.

"Please promise me." I say. He sighs.

"I can't make that promise." he says. "Because the world might be brighter with me, but it's pitch black without you. All I can promise you is that I will always be there for you."

"I guess I can live with that for now." I say. He leans in kisses me, but I pull away.

"What is it?" he asks.

"Emily told me something else too." I say. "She told me that you think I blame you for what happened." he looks down in shame. "Why would you ever think that?"

"Because you have every right to blame me." he says. "I should have been there. I should have protected you."

"You did protect me Toby. You did everything you could and more. Non of what happened is your fault. It was Melissa's. She's the reason I'm paralyzed. I would never blame you for that! And you should never blame yourself." I say.

"Then why did you push me away?" he said. "Why did you wait for me to leave to cry? I wanted to be there for you, but you didn't want me there."

"I didn't want to burden you." I say. "When I found out that I would never walk again, I thought about my future. And all I could see was years of me being nothing but a helpless burden on the people I love. I didn't want you to see me like that, and I didn't want to drag you down with me." Toby's eyes fill with tears.

"Oh god Spencer. How could you think that? You could never be a burden. And just because you're paralyzed, doesn't mean you'll ever be helpless." he says.

"I see that now." I say. "I know it was stupid to feel that way. But it was a lot to take in. And you've already done so much for me. I….I was afraid you might leave. That all my new baggage would be too much for you."

"I will never leave you." he says. "I love you. I love you more than you will ever know."

"I love you too." I say as tears start to run down my face. "And being here with you. It makes me realize that it was all worth it. You're worth everything." Toby smiles and brushes my hair out of my face.

"I can't promise you that your life won't be difficult, because it will be. But I can promise you that I'll make every challenge you face worth it. And together, we can do anything." he wipes my tears away, and kisses me gently on my lips. I know he's right. And for the first time in years, I know that everything will be okay.

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**So what did you guys think? Did you like the chapter? PLEASE LEAVE A REVIEW. This is the last chapter. Up next is the epilogue. Until next time.**

**Rin Shade **


	34. Chapter 34

**This is the end. Thanks for all of your support and amazing reviews. I really hope you like how I decided to end this story. I don't own anything. **

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"_I love you too." I say as tears start to run down my face. "And being here with you. It makes me realize that it was all worth it. You're worth everything." Toby smiles and brushes my hair out of my face._

"_I can't promise you that your life won't be difficult, because it will be. But I can promise you that I'll make every challenge you face worth it. And together, we can do anything." he wipes my tears away, and kisses me gently on my lips. I know he's right. And for the first time in years, I know that everything will be okay. _

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_** Six years later**_

Spencer's POV

Time is a funny thing. In some ways it changes everything, and in other ways it changes nothing.

I think about the time I have and how precious it is as I sit in front of a mirror. I stare at my refection and smile. Today is a good day. Today I step out of the shadow that is my past, and into a bright and gleaming future. Today I finally win.

It's taken six years for me to get to this place of victory. The other girls got there a lot sooner. The trial against the A team went on for months. All four of us girls spent hours testifying and having to relive every terrible thing A put us through over and over again. But when it was all over and the A team was sent to prison, Hanna, Aria, and Emily finally felt free. They were able to move on from their past, and start new lives. But me, I was still stuck. I couldn't move on. I was reminded of my past every time I tried to move my lifeless legs.

It was so hard at first. Learning how to live life in a wheelchair was extremely difficult. I felt like I couldn't do anything. I couldn't go upstairs, I couldn't reach anything, and navigating the wheelchair around the house was beyond frustration. I lashed out at the people around me during the first few months. I would snap at my parents and yell at my friends for helping me. But no matter what I did or how I treated them, they wouldn't leave. They stood by me through it all. Especially Toby.

Toby was always there for me. He rearranged my house so I could get around easier, he built ramps almost everywhere, and spent nearly every day with me. He let me scream at him and held me as I cried. Life was a challenge, but Toby made it worth everything, just like he promised. And slowly, I stopped screaming at my friends and I stopped crying so much. My bad days disappeared, and soon I only had good days. I got used to my new life. I was happy. But I still felt like I was trapped in the past while everyone else was going forward. Like my unmoving legs kept me forever planted in the darkest part of my life.

"Spencer. You ready?" asks Aria. Her question pulls me from my thoughts. She's standing behind me in a long dark blue strapless dress. She looks beautiful.

"Yeah." I say. "I was just thinking."

"About what?" she asks.

"The past." I say.

"What about the past?" she asks.

"I was just thinking about how far we've come." I say. She smiles and sits down in a chair next to me.

"It's been a long journey, that's for sure." she says. "We all went through a hell of a lot to get to where we are now."

"Yeah. But it was all worth it in the end." I say.

"It was. And I'm glad you think so too." I smile at her. The door to the room bursts open, and Hanna and Emily walk in, both are wearing a dress that's identical to Aria's.

"It's time Spencer. They're ready for you." says Emily.

"Okay." I say and take a deep breath.

"Are you nervous?" asks Hanna.

"A little." I say. "More excited than nervous." I grab onto my chair and try to calm myself down.

"Do you need help?" asks Aria. She reaches out to help me move, but I shake my head.

"No. I've got it." I say. I slowly push myself out of the chair and stand up. It takes a minute for my legs to steady themselves enough to hold me up.

The story about us four girls and A got to be quite well known. Almost five years after the trial, the evening news ran a story about us. The story talked about how I was paralyzed, and when a doctor in California saw it, she was convinced she could fix me. Toby and I were skeptical at first. We had been to several specialist, and they all said that there was nothing they could do. But this doctor said she had developed a new surgery that was designed to repair my kind of injury. So after months of preparation and discussions, I had the surgery. It was a success.

After the surgery, I went through six months of physical therapy before I could even take one step on my own. I was so happy that day. That one step had me over the moon. And that was the day Toby proposed to me. And today we're getting married.

I can walk on my own now, but long distances and standing up is still a challenge. I have three more months of therapy left, and they say when I'm done, that it will be like nothing happened.

I glance at myself in the mirror. I'm wearing a long white dress and, thanks to Hanna, my hair and makeup are perfect. I turn to my three best friends. They're all smiling at me and have tears their eyes.

"You look beautiful Spence." says Emily.

"Thanks." I say. I give her a big hug and soon Aria and Hanna join in.

"Come on." says Hanna as we pull out of the hug. "Let's get you married before we ruin our mascara." I laugh and nod my head.

"Okay. Lets go." I say. We walk down a long hallway that leads to huge room filled with friends and family. I watch as my three best friends walk down the aisle. I smile up at my father and nervously tighten my grip on his arm as our turn to walk down the aisle approaches.

We slowly step through the doorway and all heads turn towards me, but there's only one person I see. Toby looks at me with so much love, that I'm positive that everyone in the room can feel it. This is my victory. To _walk _down the aisle and marry the man I love. This is were I step out of my past and into my future. This is were time doesn't matter, because the only thing in the world that matters is the person standing in front of you. And as long as I'm with Toby, I have all the time in the world.

_** The End**_

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**I hope you all enjoyed this story. I loved writing it. PLEASE LEAVE ME A FINALE REVIEW. I really want to know what everyone thought of the end. Thanks for reading.**

**-Rin Shade **


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